The Legend of Zelda: Deluge
by Mahira-chan
Summary: Swift will come the floods that will doom Hyrule to being a mere memory. But in the three years before the torrents fall, a hero is awoken. He possesses a burning drive to protect his land and all whom he loves, despite all odds, even against fate. What was this hero's story in the twilight days of Hyrule? Why was he forgotten?
1. Chapter 0

The vivid lights from the bonfires and the sounds of the dancing and partying still swimming in her mind, Zelda entered her dark bedroom. Setting down her gently burning oil lamp on her desk, she closed the door behind her. With a sigh, she leaned back against it wearily. Turning away towards her open window on the other side of the room, she walked over to shut it. She reached out to do so, but paused, gazing out below. Beneath her were the castle grounds, a vast span of gardens and man-made hills. Seven of the largest hills was a bonfire; seven being the traditional number for All Soul's Night. Around the flames were the dark figures of partygoers, flitting about like ghosts, casting long shadows as they danced, drank and chatted around the flames. For a moment she longed to join them, but then remembered her duties the next morning. Looking out one last time at the fires and then at the brilliantly shining Castle City beyond the grounds, she shut her window firmly.

There was nothing left for her to do but try to get to sleep as quickly as possible. She closed the shades over the window, leaving just the light from the oil lamp to illuminate her room. Sitting down, she listened to the silence enforced by the thick glass of the window and the stone engulfed the room. Longing for some companionship, yet at the same time glad for a moment of solitude to reflect, she turned her gaze upon the largest tapestry on the bedroom walls. Upon it was stitched an intricate image of herself as a child with her red-haired mother beside her, who had been dead for ten years now. Having already offered sacrifices and prayers for her mother for Spirit Night to ease her spirit, Zelda wondered what else there could be to say. Her mind ran through many different discussions she had longed to have with her mother, but reluctantly shook them away. Wiping her eyes, she forced herself to look back at the tapestry, smiling.

Her voice only quavered slightly as she whispered, "Happy new year." She gulped. "Please, watch over me, Mother."

She stood up to get ready for bed, this time ignoring the stinging in her eyes. All Hylians, young and old, knew the sorrow of remembrance that All Soul's Night brought would always be washed away by the sleep that night. The legends said it was blessed by the goddesses to ease the sorrows of all who had lost loved ones. Zelda supposed it just felt refreshing because everyone was so exhausted from partying, but she was also certain there was something special about this night.

Mumbling a quick prayer to Farore to watch over her dreams, she settled down to sleep.

_A dark cloud on the distant horizon threatened to block out the sun. As she watched, it grew, shrouding the vast sky. The dark, sodden ground rose up past the horizon, followed by the sound of a stormy sea. Water began to envelop everything, and she feared she would be swept away from where she stood. But she could not move. The sun did not die, even as the rains began to fall, but there was never a rainbow. _

_ Nothing touched her; not the wind or rain. Calming herself by rubbing her arms and breathing in the faint mist shrouding her, she realized with absolute certainty that she was safe. Zelda smiled for a moment, but she felt a terrible wrenching in her chest. Her heart was being twisted inside of her, as if some cruel hand was wrenching it. Crying out, she collapsed, the darkness engulfing her._

* * *

Only one bonfire was lit in the celebration of the villages that dotted the banks of the mighty Zora's River. All of the villages gathered together for three days at the largest river settlement, the only one that was big enough to be called a town rather than a hamlet. Oerbel was its name, and this night was the last evening of the celebrations it hosted. All Soul's Night was the climax of everything under the sky, the beginning of the New Year.

Even before the moon had risen to the position that told midnight, some of the revelers had already gone to bed. While the rest crowded around the bonfire in Oerbel's plaza, dancing and telling stories, some hunkered away into their homes or wherever they had managed to acquire lodging for the three days of celebration.

Up in the loft of an old, yet stable barn that smelled like salt and fish bones was sleeping a young Hylian, Link. He was the only one sleeping in the barn, as it had been offered to him free of charge, allowing him to direct his severely limited funds towards getting his younger sister more hospitable lodgings.

Link rolled over uneasily, murmuring in his sleep. Underneath his lids his eyes had begun to dart around rapidly. He clenched his fists and went rigid as he began to dream.

_Link leaned back in his small fishing boat. He was floating idly down the river, moving both quickly and smoothly. The smoothness struck him as just slightly unnatural, but he decided to accept it. It was so terribly nice and warm. The sun shone down on him, and its light encompassed all around him, so all he could see was the boat and the shining river around it. _

_ The sunlight began to fade, and mists rolled in. They felt like warm summer showers, so Link did not move, and let them slowly soak him. The light faded even more, and the mists grew steadier. He jerked his head up as the boat slowly rolled to a slow stop._

_ Link sat up straight, rubbing his eyes and looking around. The mists had changed into a soft rainfall, and the sunlight that shone off the droplets dazed him. He shut his eyes and rubbed them again briskly, as if to motivate them to work as he wished. _

_ Softly out of the haze came the sound of chiming bells. Link looked up and around carefully, shielding his eyes from the glare of the light on the river. The sound came again and he looked behind him, frowning. The sound was undoubtedly a bell, but it also reminded him of the sing-song voices of the little girls who had told riddles after the All Soul's Night prayers. _

_ Desperate to find a source, Link rose up, keeping the boat steady with practiced ease. He looked down at the water carefully to find that the reflection of the light had vanished. The deep river was entirely black except for a faint light emanating from far below. The chiming sound came again, calling out to him softly._

Link's eyes only flew open for a second before he shut them again. He rolled over in the blankets, letting his mind and body fall back into the sweet weightlessness of unconsciousness. As it enveloped him, he was vaguely aware that the ruckus of the revelers had vanished. All Soul's Night had come to an end.


	2. Chapter 1

Link shrugged on his old coat that had more patches than solid garment. Layrel watched her brother from the stoop of the modest inn where she was boarding, her slight figure framed by the large, dark wooden door. Still in her nightgown, one of Link's long, old tunics, she shivered as a breeze from the river rushed past them.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay?" Layrel asked briskly, rubbing her arms.

It was Calan Galaf, the day after All Soul's Night. It was still early morning, and the sky bore only the faintest signs of dawn; the grey rising over the trees to chase away the stars, the pink clouds. The sun was well hidden behind the woods that surrounded the Zora's River.

This morning in Oerbel, most villagers and revelers remained asleep. Some had already arisen out of habit and, in a sleepy stupor, were trying to go about their morning chores. Others, like Layrel, had arisen to help prepare the enormous, luxurious luncheon that the all gathered in the village shared in honor of the day.

"This will be my only year where I'm in charge of the knot bread." Layrel frowned at him, twisting one of the loose pigtails of her long blonde hair in her hand.

Link shook his head. "I need to get back."

Sighing, Layrel stepped back, leaning against the inn's solid wooden door, saying, "If you insist! Honestly though, you're the same every year. You could stay around at least once."

Link just shook his head again.

She shrugged. "Well, I'll bring home some leftovers."

"Thank you. Have a good time."

"Yeah, I'll tell you all about it later!"

Link turned and began to walk away. Immediately afterwards the inn door was thrown open. Link looked back to see Layrel jumping off the stoop, away from the white-haired, thin innkeeper who had appeared in the doorway. Link watched as she shooed Layrel inside, probably scolding her for going outside in her nightgown. Once the door had shut, he walked away, through the village square, past a few houses and then out of the village.

There were only four communities beside Zora's River, scattered among an area of several miles near the mouth of the river, before the land grew too cliffy and rocky to build upon. Link's town that he was headed to now was called Sliven. It was the smallest village and the farthest east, about an hour's walk away from Oerbel, its closest neighbor. It was also nearest Zora's Domain, which meant that the villagers were not allowed to expand their tiny village any further, even if this only meant leveling a few trees. Yet, the Zoras looked after the village, considering it part of their territory, even though it was easily a two day hike from the village to the Domain.

The sky was beginning to barely turn daytime blue when Link reached Sliven. He hurried towards the village, staying along the rocky banks of the river. The village was composed of the houses of ten families besides himself and Layrel. The houses were all built on high ground in a close circle, well away from where the bank met the waters.

Link was almost done in the ascent from the low riverbank that sloped up to the village. Keeping his eyes down on the ground before him, he focused on not slipping on the pebbly, slick slope, dotted with fallen leaves. Obscuring his vision was the vapor that the river was releasing like a breath of life into the cold air. As he reached the top of the slope, all he could see of the village were dark, faint, but close figures in the fog. Even though a couple of the families had stayed in the village during the holiday, there were no lights amongst the homes, save one.

Hovering in the air in the middle of the large circle of houses was the village lantern. It hung on an ancient, yet sturdy, hooked iron pole that towered above all the houses. The lantern's flame flickered in the fog, looking unsupported, floating like a ghost's light. A smile tugged at the corners of Link's mouth as he remembered how he had once scared his sister with stories about the lantern when they were very young. Reaching his small, wooden house, Link spared the lantern one last glance before opening the door to his home.

It was small, dry and dark, with only one room. In the middle of the left wall, surrounded by a stone hearth, was the dark, lifeless fireplace surrounded by a stone cooking area and counter. The sleeping pallets were stacked near the hearth and Link's boat and fishing tack took up the opposite wall. Almost everything else they used in their everyday lives was arranged and tucked away in this single room. This included a small shelf on the far right corner that held a few books, most often read by Layrel. In the other far corner was a door that hid a staircase which led down into the low, cold cellar.

Stepping inside, Link's eye caught the only mirror they had, resting on the bookcase. He could see his own reflection, and walked towards it, frowning at his tired, light blue eyes. After quickly running a hand through his short honey brown hair, he turned away, taking a few deep breaths of the smells of his home.

Immediately after, he headed for his small fishing boat. Checking it over briefly, he looked for any sign of wear or tear that had not been present the day before. Finding none, he hoisted his boat up on his back and headed out the open door.

The sun had risen higher and the fog was clearing. Link's house was the closest to where the high slope the village rested on met the river. After taking just a few steps from his house, he stood above the cliff, looking down below at Zora's River. It was not so far below that a good, strong diver could not make an attempt, though the rocks made such a feat unwise.

Link stared for a moment, his brow furrowing, his eyes searching the water. A flash of sharp white caught his eye. A small grin spread over his face as, within the raging rapids, he clearly saw white pollan, looking like specks of light in the water, darting about in small clusters.

Setting down his boat, he took about a half hour, as he did every morning, to watch the fish. He looked for movement patterns, how they responded to changes in the rivers flow, and if there was any sign of a frenzy indicating any predators were lurking nearby or had recently left. As he watched, the distant scent of warm bread reached him. Turning around slowly, he saw smoke rising from the house nearest his own. He stood up, hoisted his boat over his shoulders and headed down along the riverside down to the bank, trying not to think of what Layrel might be baking right now.

The days continued on a solid, familiar schedule. Once Layrel had returned, laden down with bread and vegetables she had gotten for her services, life went back to how it had been for the past many years. Every morning, Link forced himself to wake before dawn and then woke up Layrel, who always had something unflattering to grumble at him. After watching the river for a while, he would go down for early morning fishing, joining the other village men. After returning to their homes for a quick breakfast, they would all go back to fish until the sun was high and the delicate white fish of the season hid in the shade. Some would sit along the low banks on the opposite side of the river where the trees tall trees hung over the water, providing ample shade for the fish to collect. The men would often fish from there, usually with a child or two, using simple fishing poles. Other men would tend to their homes, aiding with setting up fish to dry or smoke, preserving it for the later months. Still others would check traps they had set in the woods. On the days where the sun was warm and the breeze was not too cold, many of the fishermen would simply rest. They needed nothing to wake them but their own habitual schedule and instinct, and were always out working again when the sun had passed back behind the trees.

After fishing again in the evening, they would return to their homes at varying times for dinner. Often families would visit each other for dinner, always bringing food to share. In this small community where starvation was not necessarily likely, but always a looming threat in the back of every adult's mind, being in someone's debt over food was unthinkable.

Layrel usually loved to visit with the larger families, but ever since springtime, she had much preferred inviting their closest neighbor, Auru. He was both Link and Layrel's childhood friend, who currently lived alone without any relatives in the village anymore. It was perhaps due to this, Link supposed, that Layrel insisted on having him over almost every night. This night, the twelfth of November, is one such night.

Coming home late that evening, Link was still drying and cleaning his fishing gear when Auru walked into the house completely unannounced. He had never knocked before entering their house, and Link had never questioned it. So he did not even look up as his friend closed the door and was greeted by Layrel.

"We're just having fish and pumpkin from Oerbel," Layrel was saying, her voice light.

"Is it the last of the fresh pumpkin?" asked Auru.

They continued to talk together, the sound of their voices indicating they had walked over together to the stone counter. Link zoned them out as he focused on drying the last of his fishing hooks that he had used that afternoon. Leaning back and holding it up to reflect the glow of the fireplace, he decided it was clean, but still getting a little old. Frowning, he leaned back over, staring at it. He quickly remembered that the hook was from a visit from the caravans of Hyrule Field just two years ago.

_I guess it's lasted better than I thought._

"Hey Link!" called Auru. Link knew without looking that the man was standing right behind him, probably grinning just a little too widely from the eager sound of his voice.

"You almost done?" asked Auru again, this time a little louder. Link nodded, still focusing on the hook, running in his mind all the recent times he had used it.

After a moment, he began to wonder why Auru was still standing behind him. He shifted, ready to turn and face him when the man suddenly walked away. Link heard him and Layrel talking in low tones. Shrugging slightly, he looked over the hook one last time before setting it down in its place next to his fishing pole.

Turning around at the sound of a dull scraping noise, he saw Auru dragging the low, small circular wooden table closer to the fire. Link usually kept it propped up against the wall, in either corner next to the door, only taking it down for dinner, and sometimes not even then. Link rose up and walked over, reaching for the table. Auru's hand shot out, blocking him.

"I'll take care of it." He grinned at Link, some of his freckles disappearing into his dimples.

Link looked at him, his eyebrows rising. "That's helpful of you."

"What are you talking about?" Auru pushed the table near the fire and, after shifting it a few times to get it more even, stood back up, shaking some of his loose dark brown hair out of his vision. "I'm always helpful."

Immediately Link's mind went back to just about every night that Auru had come over for dinner. Even just a couple nights ago, there was a freezing wind from the river and when Auru came over, he had carelessly shoved aside the rags that they had stuffed under the door to keep the chill out. While Link quietly stuffed the rags back under the door and then set up the table, Auru was in his usual spot, chatting quietly with Layrel at their stone cooking area.

"I…suppose you are helpful," said Link, tilting his head in consent. Auru just beamed at him.

Later as they were eating, Auru had gone back to his usual behavior. He talked energetically to both Layrel and Link about all that had happened that day as well as whatever he had been reading recently. Auru had the most books in the village, though many of them were ones that he had borrowed but had forgotten to give back. Unlike almost all the villagers, he went out of his way when the caravans came to trade specifically for books, information and scrolls. It was perhaps due to his relative lack of outside exercise that he was not as stocky and fit nor as tan as Link and the other village men, though he was taller than most of them.

Their dinner was reaching a close, and yet they had not eaten anything of Auru's. Link had finished quickly, and leaned back on his hands, relaxing, watching Auru and Layrel. It always took them a much longer time to eat, sometimes well over a half hour. Auru talked so much and Layrel spent all her energy paying too much attention to every word that came out of Auru's mouth. Even now her food was half-finished as she leaned her elbows on the table and cupped her chin in her hands, watching Auru, her eyes half-shut. Link could not decide if she looked more enthralled or tired.

After a few more minutes, Link spoke up during a moment of silence. "Auru?"

"Huh? What is it?" He looked a little strange with a large, white pumpkin seed stuck to the side of his cheek. Link supposed he could not tell it was there.

"What did you bring for tonight?"

Immediately Auru looked over at Layrel, who met his gaze. She smiled and stood up, walking over to the stone counter. Upon it was a plain wooden bowl that she picked up and carefully carried it over, cradling it. As she set it on the table, Link sat up straight to look at its contents. His mouth immediately watered.

Inside was dried fruit, just enough for each of them, with just the slightest traces of sugar making each piece sparkle. There were primarily apples, but there were also a few strawberries and blackcurrants. The deep reddish orange of the apples' outside peel and its bright white flesh contrasted like sunlight on delicious white, flowing water. The sugary pink ruby of the strawberries and the dark, deep purple of the blackcurrants on the side gave the impression of an edible, juicy jewel box. The faint, sweet scent of the dried fruit wafted up to Link and his mouth fell open.

He did not bother trying to ask where and when the fruits were from, knowing that he would be hardly able to articulate anything. Before he knew it they had hastily divided the fruit amongst themselves and had slowly eaten them. Soon Link was on his last piece, his only strawberry. He took his time, savoring it, feeling like summer was back again for that moment. Leaning back, he gave a small sigh of contentment.

"Say, Link," spoke up Auru, "how would you say the fish is looking from here on out?"

Link just shrugged. Fish seemed so irrelevant at the present moment. He did not even look at Auru, but concentrated on the dried fruit slowly melting away in his mouth.

"Do you think that the season is almost over?"

Now Link looked at him. He quickly chewed and swallowed the strawberry. "I guess, but the season is never really over, is it?"

"Well, our cellars are really full already," said Layrel, glancing once at Auru before focusing on Link. "I mean, this has been a really great year. I'd say we don't really have much else to do before winter at all."

"I suppose." Link scratched at the faint stubble on his seventeen-year-old chin. "Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?" He looked at Auru, who looked him straight in the eye as he always did.

"The thing is," he gulped, "I'm thinking of going to Hyrule Castle City."

Link stared at him. Auru did not look away and his expression remained series, his brow furrowing slightly. Link looked over at Layrel, who nodded.

"That's sudden," said Link, his gaze turning back to Auru, who looked just a little pale. "Why?"

Auru did not look away, but for some reason had stopped blinking. "That is, I want to look for a, uh," he cleared his throat and lowered his voice a little, "a proper engagement necklace or ring."

His eyes wide, Link grabbed at the table. "Really? I didn't know!"

Grinning, Auru nodded vigorously, color rushing back into his cheeks. "Yep, we've already agreed. We just need to go through all the formalities now."

"That's great! Though, wait…" Link tilted his head, frowning. "Who is it? What girl are you engaged to?"

Layrel cleared her throat loudly. Link looked at her and she nodded again. "He asked me this summer, during the Lammas feast, Link."

After staring at her for a moment, Link hastily made to stand up, but stopped himself and sat back down again, unsure what to do. He realized they were holding hands. Suddenly, he recalled all the times over the past year that he had seen them holding hands. It was indeed too many to count. Generally, holding hands was not such a big deal in the river villages. It only meant something if you were actually engaged or married, and Link had dismissed the gesture up til now.

"Link, don't be upset, please," said Layrel, biting on her lower lip, her eyes worried.

"I-I sorta thought you already knew about it," said Auru.

"I'm not—" Looking down, Link glared at the floor, deciding to keep his mouth shut.

After a while, he looked back up at them, clenching at his knees under the table as he asked, "How long has this been going on, even before you got engaged?"

"Since last All Soul's Night, I think." Auru smiled at Layrel in a warm, soft way that Link had never seen on his face before. "We were a little undecided for a while, but ever since this summer…"

Layrel was beaming back at Auru, her eyes lively and shining. "We just, really realized just how much we love each other." Meeting Link's gaze squarely, she said in a warm voice, "Link, I love him. We love each other."

Link looked at Auru, then to Layrel, and then back again. Auru did not move to let go of Layrel's hand, nor did he lean away or fidget, or make any gesture of uncertainty.

Taking a deep breath, Link slowly, silently let it out as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just need to think about this."

"What does that mean? Is there really anything to think about?" Layrel leaned towards him, glaring just a little. "Come on, Link, I know I'm a little young—"

"Sixteen," Link said automatically.

"Well, some people do get married at sixteen!"

"You want to marry this year?" Link looked at Auru who just nodded.

"This spring, actually," he said.

Link frowned severely, more at himself than at anyone else as he thought, _They are both really certain. And…it's not like they'd be a bad match. Auru's smart and he knows a lot from reading so much, but he's not practical at all. Layrel is, though. She's worse at getting up in the morning than I am, but otherwise, she's always ready and aware. Even before grandmother died, she's always been taking perfect care of things around the house. She's always been a good homemaker, and that won't change just because she's married. And I can manage without her, can't I?_

"Link?"

He looked up, seeing the young couple looking at him, concern written almost identically on their faces.

"What's wrong?" he asked simply.

"You look so serious," Layrel said, smiling nervously.

"I know this takes a lot of thought, Link," said Auru, "but we really want your approval. And I'd like you to go with me to Castle City, to get the engagement necklace or ring, or whatever's best for Layrel that I can find."

"You…want me to go with you?" Link asked, clasping his hands on the table.

Before Auru could answer, Layrel quickly said, "Think about it, Link! I know you and Auru haven't had much one-on-one time since grandfather and grandmother died, right?"

Link had to nod in agreement. The absence of the hours of free time spent wandering, exploring and learning with Auru was one of the signs that they were no longer children. Despite the history they shared, Link had to admit things had changed between them.

_He's more like everyone else in the village, more like just another neighbor, than he used to be. _

"You can use this time to get reacquainted, " Layrel said, smiling encouragingly. "You'll see. Believe me, Auru and I are made for each other, Link!"

"And it'll be a lot of fun." Auru was smiling too broadly again. "Layrel already talked with Purel about them helping each other out and looking after each other more while we're gone. Even if we get stuck because of some weather, she'll have plenty of help and supplies for the winter, especially since she'll just be here with food prepared for the two of you!"

"But…" Link gulped. The distant, shadowy concept of the Castle City was swimming before his mind's eye like a reflection in a ripple. The caravan merchants told of spiraling white towers of the castle and temple, as well as a city full with more people than the villagers could imagine. It was distant, exotic and mysterious, something to think and hear about but never approach. Yet, as Link thought about it now, his heart began to beat faster, though he was not sure if it was from anxiousness or excitement.

"I don't think I'd mind going," he admitted, "but, I'm not going to decide right now." Their expressions fell as he went on, "I'm going to sleep on it, and then I'll get back to you two tomorrow morning. I just can't decide right now."

Auru's expression became a little dark, but he just said, "Whatever you like. This is your choice, after all. I don't want to rush you."

Layrel rubbed her face wearily with her hand. "Fine, fine. I know you, you always do this." She gave Auru a tired look. "That's why I said we should ask tomorrow morning."

"Well, we'll have to leave at noon tomorrow to meet the caravan out in the field," Auru said, looking back at Link, his face lighter. "We'll go out with them to the plains, since they'll be going down to the city. That's what they do every year, it's their route, and they don't mind extra travelers as long as we don't get in their way."

"How long is the trip?" Link asked.

"We'd probably reach the city on the morning of the fourth day."

Link nodded, then stood up and silently began to clear the table. The other two worked in silence other than occasional shared whispers. Despite having ignored them so easily earlier, every time the couple began to whisper, Link kept looking towards the door, wanting make them go outside. Soon everything was put away, and Auru left quickly. When they thought Link's back was turned, they embraced each other in a farewell.

After cleaning up, Link and Layrel pulled the pallets out and were soon getting ready to sleep. The fire was alive on steady embers, wrapping them in both the warmth and scent of the burning river-wood. They had worked and settled down in silence. Curling up in his pallet underneath an old quilt that his grandmother made him shortly before her death, Link tried hard not to think about Layrel and Auru. After rolling over restlessly many times, he forced himself to settle, focusing on relaxing his body. After a moment, his sister's voice came out of the darkness.

"Link?"

"What is it?"

"When I say I love Auru, I really mean it," she said in a hushed voice, as if thousands might overhear if she spoke any louder. "I love him more than anything, anyone. He's—we're so good together. I think we were made for each other. I know you've never been in love, but this is real, it's just…" She sighed. "I don't think there's anyone that could ever make me happier than him, and there's nothing else I want to be as much as I want to be his wife. I think, no, I really, really feel that being with him, marrying him, it's what I was born to do."

Link rolled over on his pallet again, frowning deeply, unsure how to respond, but eventually deciding to go with, "I see. I'll definitely remember, Layrel."

"I hope so. Good night."

The next morning, for the first time in many years, Link was awoken by Layrel. Rolling over, he opened his eyes reluctantly, groaning sleepily. Slowly he sat up, looking around the room in a stupor. The sun was shining in through the cracks of the shutters covering their windows.

Layrel was getting the fire going again for the day, stoking its reviving flames with their old iron poker that she had swindled out of a merchant the last time the caravan came. Glancing over at him as he slowly stood up, she smirked.

"Didn't sleep very well?"

Memories of the long night spent trying not to think, tossing and turning and then staring at the ceiling and trying to let sleep come came to Link. He shook his head.

"Did you…" She bit her lip, then said carelessly, "Well, anyways, this is the rest day for the month, so don't worry about sleeping in, okay? Like we said last night, there's not too much to be done today."

"How late is it?" asked Link, stretching.

"It's a fair while past sunrise. But no one is really out fishing today." A smile lit up her face as she turned away back to the fire as Link started to get dressed. "The Zoras are coming down today, everyone was saying, so they'll probably be fishing later."

"When are they coming?"

"Most of them are coming much later, in the afternoon, but I think your friend is going to come earlier, in about a half-hour."

Slipping on his belt and tightening it, Link nodded. "Alright. I'll be going, then. Don't worry about breakfast."

"Link."

He looked up to see Layrel facing him, her face set, her poker gripped tightly. She noticed him looking at it and hastily placed it by the fire, then turned back on him, saying, "Noon is just in a couple hours. Are you going with Auru?"

Looking away, Link said, "I haven't decided yet."

"You certainly had all night to think," snapped Layrel, folding her arms. "You kept me awake, tossing, turning, grumbling to yourself."

"I don't remember the grumbling…nevermind, I just need to think a little more." He headed for the door, saying, "I'll let you know soon."

Layrel hissed something under her breath, but before she could call after him, Link had hurried outside. Shutting the door firmly behind him, but not slamming it, Link turned away to the village. Few people were out; most were still inside for a long, leisurely breakfast. He walked out of the village, not down to the banks, but away towards the Domain.

Sliven was settled on a level area of grass and dirt, but just about a fourth a mile away the riverside was narrowed and stony. Here the river was much wider, shallower and flowed slower. Link was now walking and climbing along the uneven, smooth, large stones that composed the bank. On his right was the river, and on his left were the woods, both just about ten strides away.

About twenty minutes later Link stopped, climbing down the stones until he reached one that hung out low, meeting the water. He sat down there, looking at the water. Instinctively he began to search for fish and immersed himself in this task. The steady, smooth flow of the wide river allowed for many fish, and multiple swarms of minnows and pollan were scattered about the water. After a few minutes, the pollan vanished, fleeing. Link looked up, seeing something bright, large and silver coming down the river.

Soon the silver creature swam down near Link. A Zora's head popped out of the water, grey and white with dark blue eyes. After spotting him, she submerged again, swimming over to him.

"Good morning, Laruto," greeted Link as she reached him, climbing up on the rock next to him. Her grey-blue skin of fine scales was soaking wet. Water flowed down the long fin that hung like hair down behind her head, reaching past her waist, curving like a dolphin's tail. The end of this fin, and the fins on her arms that looked like long, loose, wavy fabric, had uneven dark blue spots. Clothes were not needed for modesty thanks to the Zora physique, and so all she had on was a petrified rope necklace with a pearl attached to it.

"How are you doing, Link?" She smiled at him, her pointed teeth showing, white and sharp. "You look a little tired."

He sighed, lying back on the stone. "I was up all night. Thinking."

"That's rare. You being up all night, that is."

Link nodded, then looked at her. "How are you doing?"

"Fine. My job has been going well." She leaned back against a stone, pursing her lips. "You'd think that working in the graveyard, so far underground away from running water would get to me. But I really don't mind. It's damp enough after all, and it's so peaceful."

"The graveyard is beneath the Zora's Domain, right?"

"Yes. It's a very quiet place. And it's very important work, too, keeping everything clean, keeping the rooms with the graves sealed, setting up the fires at the right times in the right places, saying the daily prayers…" She stood up straight, smiling. "Proper work for a princess, even if I'm just one out of four. But, I'm happy with it. I've wanted to work there all my life."

Link smiled, thinking of all the times Laruto had told him about the graveyard. "You've been talking about it for over ten years now."

"Ten years?" She whistled. "It's hard to believe. So much has changed. Well, except for you. Not that that's a bad thing."

Sitting back up, Link said, "I think I'm going to Castle City."

"What? The city?" Laruto stared at him, her eyes wide in shock.

"Yes. Layrel has also found out what she wants to do."

Laruto's brow knit as she asked, "Oh, you mean her marriage?"

"What?" Link frowned at her. "You knew?"

"I've seen her and Auru making eyes at each other and whispering together and holding hands, if that's what you mean. It's been going on for nearly a year. Didn't you realize?"

"No. I didn't know until last night, when they told me they were going to be engaged."

A hand shot to her mouth, but giggles burst forth. "You—you didn't know? Really? Oh, Link, that's so you!" She kept laughing, patting Link's back affectionately.

"Auru wants to go to Castle City to get a proper engagement jewelry piece," Link said, ignoring Laruto's diminishing giggles. "He wants me to go with him, to show my approval and to spend time with him, to be sure he's the right person for Layrel."

"Really?" Laruto had stopped laughing. "You two have known each other since you were kids. Don't you know he's fine? I mean, he's different from most of the other villagers, but he's a good guy."

Link nodded slowly. "And Layrel seems to know what she wants to do, to marry him."

Leaning forward, Laruto looked at him until he met her gaze. "You really want her to be happy, don't you?"

After a long pause, he nodded. "I know they're a good match. He's three years older than her, but that's not really a difference to be concerned about. They've known each other for years. And, I know I'll be able to get along without her." A sigh escaped him, and he quickly said, "Well, I'll be going to the city, so you won't see me around for a while."

Fingering the ground with a sharp, strong fingernail, Laruto asked, "When do you leave?"

"Noon. I need to get back to the village and get ready."

"It's a good thing I came down now, then. I'm needed back at the graves." Laruto slid down the stone, back into the water. Keeping her hands anchored to the stone, she let her body float out in the water as she looked up at him searchingly. "I think Layrel will be good with Auru."

"Yes, I agree."

"And I'm sure you'll be back to the village before you know it." She grinned at him, showing her teeth again. "I think you'll have a great time Link. And their marriage will be amazing. But don't get lost in the city, or you'll miss too much!"

Link nodded. "Don't worry, I won't."

"Ah, I know you won't. That's what I like about you, Link. Well, it's one of the things, but, it's just that even while everyone is growing up, getting married, dying, having kids, you're still the same. It's comforting. And you love the river, don't you? That's why I like fishing with you."

"Yeah," said Link, trying to make his voice as energetic as possible, but not managing much enthusiasm. He forced a grin. "We'll have to fish again, when I come back."

"Certainly!" Laruto let go of the bank and began to swim away. Half-way out into the river, she stopped and looked back, shouting out, "Have a safe trip and be careful! There are monsters out in the field. I'll be praying for you!"

Nodding gratefully, Link watched as she turned away and swam swiftly back upstream, leaping up the small waterfalls like an exceptionally agile salmon. Even after she vanished from sight he stared up the river, at its twists and turns and the large pine trees that loomed in the distance.

_I wonder when I'll see this place again?_

Link hurried back to town as quickly as possible, being only as careful as absolutely necessary. He did not find Layrel inside the house, so he went over to the smallest house in the village, about half the size of his own. Knocking on the door, he glanced around, looking for any sight of Auru or Layrel, but saw none.

The door flew open and he turned, seeing an old man in the doorway. It was Purel, often just referred to as "the knight" of the town. He was a retired knight from Hyrule Castle. He had fought with the monsters who had attacked and stolen from the Temple of Time over fifty years ago. Many a cold winter's night he had regaled all the village in tales of his heroic and daring feats throughout this attack. While his stories changed a little every year, there was no doubt that he was a true knight. Even now as he was reaching into his seventies and his hair was white, he still stood tall and straight, and was in very fit shape, even though he no longer practiced with the sword regularly.

"Link," he said, his eyebrows rising. "What are you doing here so early on a rest day?"

"Can I come in?" asked Link.

The knight slowly nodded, stepping back and opening the door widely.

Link stepped inside to his house, which was composed of a smaller room with just enough space for a fire, cooking, dining and sleeping area. He had no fishing tack other than a couple beautiful, old poles from the city, and he had more gaming and hunting tools than anyone else in the village. On his wall hung two swords, sheathed in wooden scabbards covered in leather, as well as his shield, all of which were in fine condition.

Closing the door, Purel abruptly asked, "What can I help you with? Do you wish to train with me, on a rest day?" He smiled broadly. "Then again, it's been well over a month since we've done that."

"I wanted to ask you about the city," said Link.

Purel stroked his thin, long white beard thoughtfully. "Really now? Usually it's Auru who does that. He's been coming over here often, actually returning some of my books, asking me more and more about the city. Is he going there to visit his brother?"

Link clenched his fists at the mention of Auru's brother as Purel went on, "Ah, no, it's much different. Layrel was talking about working with me while the two of you are gone. This trip is for something bigger than a visit, isn't that so?"

"Yeah, Auru wants to get a proper piece of jewelry, to propose to Layrel with."

"Mhmm. _And_ to impress you, her relative, with."

"I know he has enough money and—"

"Custom, Link." The old knight was nodding thoughtfully. "Our customs shape our very lives. And it appears your life is not an exception. You'll go to the city, then?"

"Yes. And I wanted to know if there's anything I should know about it."

A distant look came into Purel's eyes. He walked over to one of the windows of his house and threw the shutters open. As he started talking about the city, he began as he always did, talking about the knighthood. A warm feeling of nostalgia rose within Link's chest as he listened. He remembered the many times in his childhood when he and Auru would visit Purel, listening to his stories. Eventually, he began to teach them how to read and write properly, as well as how to use a sword. Link had immediately taken a shine to using the sword and shield, and while Auru was not a bad student, he eventually abandoned the sword and devoted himself wholly to reading. There were innumerable evenings in their boyhood spent behind Purel's house; Auru reading by lantern light while Purel and Link trained.

With a start, Link realized he was sitting on the floor by Purel's fireplace. The knight was sitting in his wooden chair across from him, still telling his old stories. This one was about how he had gotten in trouble for trying to sneak out to go to a brothel. He spotted Link watching him and cleared his throat nervously.

"Never go to one of those, lad," said Purel seriously, though he still looked a little embarrassed. "It makes for a good story, but you know I'm not serious. When you're lonely or have free time, go to the temple instead."

Link nodded vigorously. Purel was smirking at him and Link hastily looked away, feeling warmth spreading into his cheeks.

"Now, as for going to the city yourself…" Purel stood up and began to pace in front of the fire. "I've heard of monsters arising in the field. Even when they attacked the city and the temple, there were still fewer in the fields. They used to be few, harmless, but now they're much more numerous and a much greater threat. Maybe it's the curse of the gods, since we could not protect the Temple of Time?" He stopped pacing and looked down at Link. "You'll be traveling with a caravan?"

"Yes, we're meeting at noon to go out and join them."

"You could easily be attacked all the same. Never underestimate these creatures. Sometimes their sheer numbers can overwhelm even the most prepared travelers. Even though they can be incredibly dull, it seems there's always something, someone leading them to do what they do. An evil god, a demon…I don't know. Some even said that the king let them into the city and to the temple all those years ago." Purel shook his head solemnly. "Either way, you'll need to be prepared."

Link arose quickly, holding his breath in anticipation as Purel walked over to his swords and shield on the wall. After a moment, he took down his shorter sword, equipped with a simple wooden handle with tough cloth around the grip, and turned towards Link, holding the sword out. Link walked over, took it and, after a nod from Purel, turned aside and unsheathed it. It slid out smoothly, with only the soft sound of steel on leather; everything was clearly in the finest of condition. As Link held it, he could immediately tell from years of using makeshift spears for large fishing and wooden swords for practice that the sword had perfect balance. Mindful of his surroundings, he went through a few motions and thrusts with the sword, holding it steadily but easily.

"You haven't lost your touch." Purel was smiling at him. "You've always had a knack for anything you set your hands on."

Link looked down at the sword, his mouth firmly shut; the sword felt stiff and motionless in his hand. Purel was talking again, pulling his shield down from the wall, explaining, as he always did, about different ways to use a shield to throw an opponent off-balance. Grasping it with both hands, he held it out to Link.

Before he took it, he suddenly asked, "Purel, did you think I could be a knight?"

The retired knight stared at him, his old eyes wide as he asked slowly, "Did I? Do you think I trained you to be a knight?" His eyes narrowed. "Is that what you've always thought?"

Shrugging uneasily, Link said, "Sometimes I thought that, but, other times it didn't seem right."

"Do you want to be a knight, like Auru's brother?"

There was a pause before Link answered, "When I was young I did."

"But you don't want to now, because now you must look after Layrel?"

He shook his head. "It's not just that."

"Sheathe your sword and take the shield."

Immediately Link obeyed. As the shield settled into his grasp, leaning against his arm protectively and securely, he felt his body ease. He began to stretch his arm, moving the shield with it, getting a feel for its weight.

"Link."

He looked up at Purel, who went on in a low, earnest voice, "You're not meant for knighthood, but something else. Maybe you'll find what that is on your journey."

Before Link could respond, Purel was ushering him outside and hurried with him around behind his house and immediately began drilling him.

They did not practice for long, but by the time they were done, Link was flushed and breathing fast not from weariness, but from exhilaration. Before sheathing his sword, he held it out one more time. The stiffness was gone, and now he was relishing the feeling of having an extension of himself. The feel and reach of the sword was unlike anything that any fishing tack could offer. Purel had often talked of swords that were custom-made for their wielders, perfectly suiting their height, muscle weight and fighting style. Compared to a more standard sword such as Link's, these swords were not just an extension of the self, but rather became part of oneself. Link could not imagine this, and privately wondered if such swords could exist.

_Either way, _he thought as he sheathed the sword, smiling to himself, _I'm perfectly fine with this one. _

Someone called him. Turning, he saw Auru and Layrel approaching them.

"That sword and shield…"Auru trailed off, looking at Purel, who just nodded.

"I decided they might keep the two of you safe, so I can bear parting with them for a while," Purel said, stroking his beard.

Layrel was beaming at Link as Auru quickly asked him, "So you're going? Absolutely?"

Link nodded and immediately Auru grabbed his free hand and shook it wildly, his face alight with joy and relief. "That's great! Ahh, wonderful! This trip is going to be amazing, you'll see!" Releasing Link's hand, he quickly asked, "I'm almost done packing, how about you?"

"I haven't done any, but I can do it soon enough." Link looked up at the sky to see the sun just peeking up above the trees.

"You've got about thirty minutes or so," said Auru, also looking up. "Do you need—"

"Come on, Link!" Layrel grabbed his shoulders and turned him around, pushing him towards their house. "I'll help you pack; we'll be done before you know it!"

In a short time, they had almost everything packed and bundled together. They were taking a cloak to use as a blanket or for warmth, dried food, a water skin and a couple extra warm clothes. As Layrel was putting a few extra things in that she deemed necessary, Link found himself looking at his fishing tack. After a few moments, he picked out his oldest hook and grabbed one of his smallest leather pouches. Layrel spotted him and shook her head.

"You really think you'll have time to fish? Sounds like people don't fish in the river around the city, you know."

"I don't know. Maybe…" he slipped the hook inside the pouch, "maybe it's something from here to bring."

"I didn't know you were so sentimental, Link." Her voice was light, but it was not mocking, nor did she laugh at him.

After securing everything together with leather straps, Layrel helped Link put the bundle on his back like a knapsack. He did not need her help, but he accepted it, realizing they might not see each other for much longer than a week. They had not been apart for so long ever since Layrel came to live with him and his grandparents when they were children. Just before they stepped outside, Link donned his hat, which he knew he would need to keep him warm as they went up north to the city.

As they walked outside, Link saw the faces of the other village people, most of whom had come to bid him and Auru farewell. Most of the older men and women looked disapproving, though some of the eldest, wrapped in their large cloaks for the chill breeze, were warmly reminiscing far too loudly to everyone around them about their own travels during their youth. The children, almost all with the wavy brown hair of Hylians in the area, were at Link and Auru's waists, talking with and at them, asking for souvenirs, reminding them to tell them all the stories of the city. One of the youngest little girls, who Link knew had an embarrassingly large crush on Auru, was clinging to her mother. Even with her messy hair shrouding her face, Link could tell she was glaring daggers at him, as if it was his fault that her beloved was getting engaged. Link smiled at her apologetically, but she just turned her head away, her nose in the air.

In the midst of the small crowd and babbling and the elderly talking too loudly, the village mayor, Fislem, came forth. He shook Auru then Link's hands firmly large, callused ones; his dark walrus mustache hid his mouth as he said, "Just stay out of trouble, and don't make the village look bad. We don't want those city folk looking down on us and deciding to try and get their fish from another village, you hear?"

"Yes, sir," said Link and Auru at the same time.

Fislem's mustache bristled and his eyes were smiling as he looked down at them. "You two have a safe trip."

As they headed away from the farewell calls and shouts from the village, Layrel going with them for just a while longer, Link asked, "How did they all know we were leaving?"

"I told them." Auru grinned at Link. "I knew they'd want to see us off."

"I know Fislem's wife is already starting to make plans for our wedding," Layrel said, shaking her head. "She's a sweet lady, but this feels just a little early!"

Link glanced over his shoulder to see the village was nearly out of sight. He stopped and the others followed in suit as he turned to his sister, saying, "Maybe you should head back now."

"I guess so." Without another word she embraced Auru, who held her gently, and they stayed this way. Just when Link was about to turn away or clear his throat loudly, they broke apart, their gazes still locked. Suddenly Layrel turned and hugged him, whispering into his shirt, "Look after him."

"I will." They stepped back from each other, Link's hand still on her shoulder. "It'll be fine."

"Of course!" Auru leaned against Link, grinning at his fiancée. "We'll be back before you can miss us."

She laughed, though she still looked a little worried even as she said, "Of course, of course! And at least I can count on Link to keep you out of trouble!" Stepping back, she raised her hand from her elbow and waved slowly. "Good bye, you two!"

They walked away slowly. Auru turned back many times to call out to Layrel, usually calling out a light-hearted joke or something that sounded too much like flirting. Link had waved back to her once, but mainly kept his eyes ahead of him. They continued on like this as the river began to widen and the ground became more grassy and less pebbly and stony. Slowly, the bank became more and more level with the river. They made a turn and, without looking back, Link knew that all sight of his home was gone.


	3. Chapter 1 Part 2

They passed Oerba, and then the other two fishing villages. In just about two hours, they had reached the outskirts of the last village, Yambol. Here, the river met Hyrule Field. As they approached it, neither of them spoke. Link kept glancing at the line of trees on their side of the river as it drew further and further away from them, leaving them much more in the open than he was used to. The banks were now solid grass, and were almost level with the river. The river itself in this area was incredibly wide and deep, with only a few larger rocks breaking the smooth surface below visible far below the river's clear surface. At one point Link tried to throw a rock across the river. His throwing arm gave him a reach of about twenty feet, or more if he threw it well. This was a good throw, yet it only reached about halfway across the river.

The trees had cleared away completely, now at their backs. They both stopped. Link looked out for the first time at Hyrule Field.

His first impression was of finally seeing the horizon for the first time in his life. Even when he had climbed some of the tallest trees when he was young, his sight was still shrouded by the woods surrounding the river. But now the world had turned into something entirely different.

Right in front of them was still the Zora's River. Here it branched out in a Y shape, to their left and flowing ahead of them off to the right. Crossing the river's split was a natural land bridge, reinforced with large stones. Link passed Auru, hurried up to the bridge, running until he had reached the top of its arc.

Before him was an endless, rolling sea of brown grass, frozen dead ground, and the last resilient weeds of autumn. They wove together with patches of bare ground into the lengthy field before them. Together it all looked like a gigantic, slightly lumpy quilt. It was as if they had shrunken down to the size of a gnat, and this quilt had suddenly become their entire world.

On the far horizon of the field were hills, some of which were dotted with dark, indiscernible shapes that Link supposed were large patches of trees, or perhaps villages. But all around them it was mostly smooth, almost flat. The traders in the caravans had told Link and the other villagers off-handedly about the flat stretches of the field, but Link had never really believed it before now, nor had his imagination provided anything that compared to the reality.

Before they began to walk back down the bridge, Link looked to his left, to the south to where one branch of the river flowed. On its left side, often overshadowing the banks, was the woods. It followed the river faithfully as it flowed into the distance, where it became a wide dark line on the land, and then was lost in a dark sea of trees. Behind these trees were enormous, distinct, dark mountains. They were so steep and high that the grey clouds veiled their summits.

Link turned to his right. The bank they had come from continued a fair way down the river, but soon met and was swallowed by the trees. The river, flowing directly north, went along straight until it was lost between the field and the haze of trees. Beyond were more mountains, wider and less steep, but still just as high as the ones to the south.

Auru was also staring at the landscape, his face a little pale. "Phew, this place is incredible, isn't it? Too bad it's winter though." He gestured at the field of dead grass. "I bet it'd be quite an uplifting sight in the summer or spring, high and green."

They continued to walk along the bridge, sloping down to meet the field. Link looked ahead and spotted a tall tree he had not seen before. It was only half a fourth of a mile away into the field, and was surrounded by large stones. Squinting at it, Link wondered how the stones had ended up there, since there were no sign of stones anywhere else in sight.

"Oh!" Auru pointed at the solitary tree. "That's where we're going to meet the caravan. It's just about two hours past noon now, and that's about when they'll be coming here. This is one of their rest stops."

They hurried down the bridge and out into the field. The grass and weeds that had looked so impressive before were actually very tough and scraggly, only reaching up to his ankles. Link felt something hard under his boot and looked down. Small rocks were littered everywhere amongst the grass, and the ground as he could see it now was more red clay than true brown, fertile dirt.

_That's why there isn't anyone living out here,_ he thought, looking back ahead of him. _At least there shouldn't be many ticks or fleas in grass this short, especially with it being cold. _He breathed out slowly, realizing that he could not see his breath. _Well, maybe it's not that cold._

They had reached the base of the tree. It was tall, old and sturdy though it was clearly leaning. All of its leaves had fallen, lost from the ground by the winds. The stones around the tree were only about as tall as Link. He ran his hand over one's smooth surface and could tell it had been taken from the river. Looking back at the tree, which Auru was circling and staring at, Link noticed that a rope had been tied around it. Dangling from the rope was another river stone, though it was only about the size of his arm.

"What is that?" Link walked over to the tree, staring up at the rope that was just out of his reach. It was clearly old and weathered, but was very strong, much like the rope they used for fishing, only immensely more sturdy. It was almost ridiculously bulky, being about as half as thick as the tree itself. Link took a step back and just stared at it, trying to guess what purpose it could possibly have. It was almost as if it was holding the tree itself in place, as it only began to lean past where the rope was tied.

"That rope and all these stones are supposed to drive monsters and ghosts away," said Auru, who was still circling the tree, looking it up and down. He was tall enough to reach the rope, and every now and then did so, stroking it curiously. "Since these rocks are here, it's a rest stop for anyone traveling in the plains, since it's supposed to be safe. I don't know if it works, but you don't really see many monsters or ghosts around running water, much less in our village, huh?"

"I guess not. Where is the caravan coming from?"

"That road." Link looked to where Auru had jerked his head, seeing a rough dirt path, coming up from the large forest to the south. "They're coming up from Lake Hylia," finished Auru, turning his attention wholly back to the tree.

They waited by the tree for about ten minutes. Link sat down at the base of the tree, keeping an eye out for the caravan and any other signs of life in the plains. Auru continued to walk around, examining the tree and the stones. Every now and then he would start talking about them, though it was clear he was thinking out loud.

The first sign of the caravan was the distant sound of a horse's whinny. Link immediately stood up, looking around. Auru had not noticed, and was squatting next to the tree, staring up at the rope. Walking ahead a few paces, Link stared to the south. Eventually, dark shapes appeared on the horizon, approaching them and growing larger and more defined by the minute.

"Auru." Link looked over to see his friend finally standing up and turning away from the tree.

"What is it? Are they here?"

He walked over and joined Link. After a while, he shouted out to the caravan, letting them know they were there. A couple of the men on horseback separated from the group and trotted near them, bringing their horses to a stop about twenty paces away. They wore short cloaks and cowls over their heads. Link noticed both men had rough leather armor on their chests and arms and had swords sheathed at their sides.

"Who are you?" one of the men called.

"It's Auru, from Sliven," he returned loudly, his voice calm and friendly. "I'm here with another townsman, Link, to go with you to Castle City."

"Oh, Auru—" The man whispered something to his companion, and then he directed his horse over to them, walking inside of the circle of stones, as his companion went back to the caravan.

"I remember you," the man was saying, looking down at them, pulling back his hood to reveal a weathered middle-aged man with a full beard and the long ears that identified him as a Hylian. He dismounted, leading his horse over to the tree, allowing it to graze. Link noticed that around the gnarly roots of the tree and the river stones, the grass was taller and healthier.

Auru and the man began to talk about past trading seasons between the caravan and the riverside towns. Keeping quiet, Link focused his attention on the caravan itself as it approached them along the road and came inside the circle of stones. It consisted of seven wagons, all of which did not fit inside the circle. Even so, all of the horses, most of them brown, large and unremarkable, were still driven inside.

Stepping closer to the tree, standing on its roots and out the way of everyone else, Link counted around fifty men and eighteen horses total: fourteen pulled the wagons, and the remaining four were used by the first two men, and two others for scouting and extra luggage. Almost every person Link recognized, as the caravan always set up between Oerbel and Sliven during the summer around the solstice. Then their packs and wagons were largely full, sometimes even stuffed with luggage and treasures. Now they were almost completely empty, save for food and water. As they took a break by the tree, Link spotted a few people going down to the river to replenish water skins.

Like everyone who lived in the villages around Zora's River, all in the caravan were Hylian. Link had heard and read of the other kinds of people in Hyrule, especially the desert tribes, who had short, rounded ears. Never having met such people, he sometimes wondered if the stories were true and, if there were, if such people could hear as well as Hylians.

In less than an hour, they left, keeping to Zora's River as it ran up to the north. Link and Auru stayed to the outer edge of the caravan, near the middle. Auru continued conversing with a man who had observed the oak tree with him just before they left. Link did not engage anyone in conversation, but listened to those going on amongst the people in the caravan. They mostly spoke of the good trade they got from Lake Hylia, some of the people they had swindled, as well as the monsters they encountered around the Forbidden Woods. Link learned that several of the travelers were not traders, but had been hired solely to guard the caravans. He noticed several other men, usually on horseback, who bore swords and a few pieces of leather armor. Although they were mostly quiet, sometimes they would engage the traders in conversation with a familiar ease that told they had been traveling together for some time. Link recognized some as long-time members of the caravan.

They continued to press on until the twilight fell, casting everything in an orange light with their long, dark shadows stretching across the field. Setting up several fires, they camped a fair distance from the river, though close enough for anyone to go down and get water without going out of sight. They camped in a circle, with the wagons loosely surrounding them. Night watch was decided, and Link noticed that only he, Auru, and the man Auru was still talking with were left out of this. They were also placed at the edge of the group, near one of the night watches, and away from any wagons that had any food or leftover luggage.

Link laid out his cloak and extra blanket and bedded down early after the small dinner, his sword at his side. Although worn out from the day, he did not let himself fall asleep until he heard Auru come over nearby and begin to lay out his own bedding. Sitting up, Link looked at him.

Noticing him, Auru smiled sleepily as he sat down on his bedding, saying, "I thought you were asleep, Link. You won't believe what that scholar I've been talking to has been telling me." As he took off his belt and luggage and laid it between them, near Link's own things and sword, he continued, "He's been working down at the Forbidden Woods, it's this gigantic forest to the south, around those huge mountains. It used to be called the Lost Woods, but then the king forbade anyone from entering without his permission and the name changed. Not a very original switch huh? He forbade it, it's called 'forbidden.' You've got to wonder who is in charge of these things. But anyhow, the wood is full of magic and it sounds amazing. There are said to be things like a spring of immortality, a tree that never stops growing, and ancient temples from when the gods walked the land. There are supposed to be fairies, too."

Lying back down and looking up at the cloudy night sky, Link mumbled, "I haven't seen a fairy since I was little."

"Oh, that's right." Auru was lying down, pulling his cloak over him. "You saw one, huh? I remember that."

"Right. No one else would believe me. My grandparents thought I was seeing things."

"Well, who could blame them? No one else has seen a fairy in over a hundred years."

Sighing, Link rolled over, looking at Auru. He was lying on his stomach, his face in his arms.

"Auru?"

"What's wrong?" he asked without moving, his voice muffled.

"Are we going to see your brother while we're at the city?"

"Oh. Yes, we are. I figured that'd come up. He sure teased you a lot over the fairy thing, didn't he? Well, a lot _more _than usual anyways_._ But yes, we're going to check on him. But it'll be quick, just to see how he is and to let him personally know about the marriage." Auru turned his head and looked over at him, grinning thinly. "Maybe he's changed. You never know, eh?"

Link did not answer.

"Well," Auru went on, "I'll be sure to tell him to get along with you better. After Layrel and I marry, you'll be brothers with both Bolek and me. He'll have to get his act together."

Rolling over away from him, Link sighed. "Fine. Goodnight."

For three days they continued, always within sight of the river, following its path. They rose early, and each morning Link offered to help with something. He was always given the task of something that did not have to do with the valuables of the caravan. This often meant doing the most menial labor, such as collecting water, disposing of wasted food or garbage, and, the third morning, he was sent to washing one of the wagon horses who had gotten muddy overnight. He was helped by a few boys of the caravan, younger than he. They led the horse down to the river's edge and washed the mud that was caked on its shaggy winter coat. As unaccustomed as he was to horses, Link had little trouble with this one, as it was a mare of a very mild temperament. All the same, he avoided the back legs and did not go behind the horse, and he was grateful that the boys did not expect him to check and clean out the horse's hooves.

That day, the river split. One branch flowed towards the north-east; Auru indicated that it flowed towards Kakariko Village and that the mountains in that direction, hidden by the haze of the day, hosted Death Mountain. They followed the other branch, leading towards the west, directly towards the plains. As they continued they left the flat stretch of the field behind them and the land grew hilly with gentle, low hills.

When they settled down for the evening, it was a warm night with a pleasantly cool breeze. The caravan set up the wagons and the fires as usual, but the warm air relaxed everyone, making everybody a little louder, a little merrier and a little more generous with the food. Link got involved in a few small contests of strength, pitting him against guards and bolder men of the caravan. Auru joined for a few, and won several of them, but soon dropped out to go back to his usual place, which was talking with the scholar about the Forbidden Woods.

Link heard the other people in the group also talk about the woods, how if anyone went inside he would be turned into a skeleton, or even into stone forever. Although he never said a word, Link wondered if the scholar was a little crazy to be so interested in poking around in such a place. One of the men mentioned that they would reach the city the next day. Link looked back over at Auru and the scholar, feeling relieved that the latter would not have much more time to fill Auru's head with crazy, dangerous ideas.

While it had been partly cloudy the past two nights, this night there were no signs of moon or starlight. The land by the river had sloped up to a small hill, steeper than most in the area, upon which they now rested. The wind whipped up the hill and into the camp. At the breeze was pleasant in the warm night, but now that they were all starting to settle down and try to sleep, it became obnoxious. It slowly turned from a steady, light wind to something with random bursts of stronger, much colder wind. Auru just curled up tighter under his blanket, but Link sat up. He could hear the horses shifting, stamping the ground, snorting.

Grabbing his sword and tying it onto his belt, leaving his shield behind, he stood up and tried to look out into the dark night. The firelight behind him dazzled his eyes, robbing him of any hope of getting his eyes accustomed to the dark. He bit down on his lip, hesitating, but then hurried back to the nearest campfire. Grabbing a wet stick from the pile of firewood, he dipped one end into the flames until it lit up.

Turning around, he hurried back to the edge of the camp, stepping out to the rim of the circle of the wagons. Holding the makeshift torch aloft, he peered out. He could make out some stones that had popped up with the sloping hill. Atop the hill, with no light from above, very little was visible except what was immediate and revealed to the glow of his torch.

The horses were still restless. One whinnied anxiously, and someone hurried over to calm it, complaining irritably. The guards of the caravan were also up, most with their own torches. They circled around the camp, frowning, gazing out nervously into the dark. A few asked Link if he had seen anything, but he only shook his head.

There was a low moan in the air, creeping out from the night. At first, Link thought of the trees in October, where the blustery autumn winds would make them bend and groan from the strain of the gusts and their leaves. But he quickly reminded himself the only trees were on the other side of the river and that the moaning was emanating from the field. The guards men were calling to each other and people were waking in the camp. The moan continued, seemingly endless, held on a single note. Link walked back over to Auru, who was sitting up, looking tired and confused, trying to peer out into the darkness.

Back at the camp, Link looked out at the field once again. He caught his breath, freezing on instinct.

There were eyes in the dark. They reflected the firelight like the sharp, feral eyes of animals in the wilderness.

Shaking himself, Link threw his torch into his right hand, leaving his left hand ready to grab his sword.

"Torches out!" a hiss was going amongst everyone in the camp. "Put all torches out, now!" The torches died, though the campfires were not touched. Someone shouted at him, and Link stepped back, throwing his torch into the fire. Hurrying back to the edge of the camp, all he could see was the shadows.

There was a loud, echoing snap as a large log broke within the flames.

Suddenly all around him there was the sound of clacking stones. The sound was grinding and unbearable, and he had to stop himself from flinching away or covering his ears. The eyes reappeared in the dark, but now there were easily over forty of them. They were steadily shifting, growing larger, drawing closer. The clacking noises grew louder.

The caravan was in a flurry of movement. The horses were mounted or corralled near the noncombatants into the circle of bonfires in the middle of the camp. The most able men and guards on horseback circled the camp again. They shouted fiercely out at the eyes, often incoherently. It reminded Link of winter, when the wolves would come to the woods near his home. As a child, he had watched from a tree as a pack had tried to thin out a herd of deer. Before the wolves could do anything, the deer immediately put on an impressive display, in which they ran away but with their focus upon looking incredibly fit and showing off how healthy they were rather than actually running away very fast. After that, the wolves would target the deer that had made the least impressive display of physical health.

It worked for a moment. The clacking stopped and the eyes stopped moving, apparently bedazzled by the boisterous display of the men and their horses, their swords drawn and reflecting the firelight. Link, standing next to a wagon, glanced back to see Auru near the circle of noncombatants. He was armed, but his stance was unsteady, his eyes rapidly darting about and he quickly turned his head to look about in every direction. He and several others in the group reminded Link of the type of deer that would get eaten.

_If these things attack, I can't let them get past these wagons,_ thought Link, his hand resting around his sword's hilt.

The wind died, and the loud voices of the guards seemed to be sucked away with it.

The eyes began to advance quickly, the clacking sound returning. Link pulled out his sword, waiting until the eyes were closer. As a few of the guards broke away to attack, the eyes came into the range of the firelight.

Link had seen pictures of Stalchildren before in Purel's books. They were only about four feet tall, with heads that looked more like bear than human skulls. They had no flesh or muscle, only skeletons with light in their dark eye sockets. The clacking noise came from their jaws. Their bottom jaws looked half-unhinged, and as the Stalchildren walked their teeth would often clap together. They walked with their bony arms outstretched, with hands twice as large as a normal adult's hand, bearing claw-like nails.

As the guards darted at them, diving in for an attack and then hurrying out of the monsters' reach, Link spotted a couple slipping past them. Rushing out of the camp, Link caught the first Stalchild off guard, quickly slicing its head off. Keeping his balance, Link did not lose any time in taking one step back, his eyes on the next monster. It took one more step towards him and then lunged, haphazardly flinging a clawed hand at him. Immediately he side-stepped, cutting the arm off. Before it had a chance to attack again, he drove his sword through its bony ribs, breaking it's backbone. It crumbled to the ground as another came walking towards him.

There was a piercing, inhuman scream. Link spun around towards it. The scream had come from a horse, which had a Stalchild clinging to its flank, biting it. The horse bolted away, bucking both its rider and the monster off. Link raced forward to the fallen guard.

Something sharp bit onto his leg. Grunting in pain, his head twisted, looking down. A Stalchild's head that he had severed from its body was clinging onto him like a bear trap. He tried fruitlessly to shake it off and dropped forward, banging it on the ground, knocking its grip loose. It fell off as he stood back up and, with a shout, drove his sword through the skull. The light in its eyes died, and it did not move.

There was a ruckus in the main camp. He saw the guards racing around, battering at the Stalchildren, trying to keep them confused and out of the circle of wagons. But they had begun to crowd around the camp, easily surrounding it. Some of them walked right past Link, ignoring him, focused on joining the crowd of their kin.

Steadying his grip on his sword, he dashed towards the main group, slicing through the skulls of the nearest monsters. Cries erupted as the sheer number began to overwhelm the guards, slipping past the wagons, sending more of the horses into a panic. Link dove at the monsters, killing a few, then jumped back before others could retaliate. A few swung after him with their claws or snapped their jaws threateningly, but none chased him, focused on getting into the camp. Without stopping to think, Link jumped after them, trying to distract them, fighting too many at once. Sharp teeth were biting at him, and he was forced to leap back or roll away several times to avoid a severe blow.

_I should have grabbed my shield—_

The people in the camp were screaming and the guards were shouting at the monsters and at each other. Knocking the head off of a Stalchild that had just sliced at his hat, Link firmly pulled it back on with one hand and held his sword ready with the other. Abandoning everything else, he ran into the crowd of monsters, trying to get towards Auru, whose voice he could not hear amongst the din.

A horse raced by and something knocked him in the back of the head, sending him to the ground, knocking all the wind out of him. Rolling over on his back, trying to breathe, all he could see were the eyes and claws of the monsters as they looked down at him, reaching out for him. He kicked and thrust out with his sword, trying to drive their claws away, desperately trying to even sit up. One grabbed onto his head, almost twisting his neck as it pressed him down. Shouting with the effort, he thrashed about in its grasp, wildly slicing the others trying to grab or bite him, but unable to move his head out of its iron grip, even as its claws began to sink into his hair and he could feel hot blood rolling down his cheeks.

There was a low rumbling in the ground, running up into his head through his ear that was pressed on the ground. Even amidst his struggles and the din around him, it became impossible to ignore as its vibrations grew stronger and stronger until it was almost as though his body was shaking from it. The monsters froze, looking away, loosening their grip. Immediately he tore up from them, standing up and swiftly swinging his sword in a spin, splitting the heads of all around him.

Holding up his sword, panting and sweating, he steadied himself, ready. But none of the monsters still alive around him paid him heed, staring at the darkness to their left. Link looked in the same direction, realizing that was where the rumbling was coming from. Down the hill, he heard the distinct sound of something tearing through the ground. It reminded him of a raging flood, strong enough to tear up the deepest tree roots and strongest stones. The guards were shouting for everyone to get back in the circle of the camp, but Link did not move, feeling as though his legs were rooted to the ground.

Rolling up the hill and into the light of the campfire came what Link could only think of as gigantic, self-propelled boulders. Dirt, grass and rocks were thrown up in their wake as they raced towards the Stalchildren, which were frantically trying to bury themselves into the ground.

One boulder rolled right at Link. His wits returning, he jumped away, scrambling amongst the thinning cloud of monsters. He sprinted to and past the wagons, running right into the crowd in the camp. Turning back, he saw the monsters being trampled by what seemed like thousands of these boulders, circling, rolling and crushing at the speed of a raging river. They all seemed to blur together in the firelight, making his head spin.

Someone grabbed onto Link, and he twisted around, his sword clenched tight, ready to swing. He started, seeing Auru. He had some scrapes, and on and around his bare wrist he could see a bite from the monsters. Otherwise, he was unharmed.

"You—are you okay?" Auru was choking out. Link only managed to nod hurriedly.

Together they watched as the boulders either destroyed or chased away the rest of the monsters. People were lighting torches again. Link did not sheathe his sword, but kept his eye on the boulders.

_Is it some kind of magic? A trick? I don't know…_

"I-I wonder if they're Gorons," said Auru, his voice low and hesitant.

"What? You mean the stone people?" Link could not help but frown uncertainly. The Zoras he grew up with never had many flattering things to say about the Gorons.

"Purel always says they're close allies with the king," whispered Auru. "Maybe that's why they saved us?"

All of the monsters were gone. The boulders stopped moving and Link realized that they were not boulders at all, but rather Gorons. They had curled up, rolling mostly along their large stony backs. There were three, and they joined together outside the line of the camp. They were vast, their torsos wide and strong, with short stocky legs and long, thick arms. Link rubbed his eyes and looked back, trying to make them out better as the guards slowly went out to thank and greet them. After hesitating, Link followed them, ignoring Auru's whispered insistence that they should not do anything. He hung back, standing at the edge of the crowd of travelers, listening and watching as one of the guards was nearly bowing, thanking the Gorons for their help. "There is no need for this," said the tallest Goron in a deep, firm voice. He had dark, ashen grey stone and hard skin. The sharp contrast of the flames from the fire and the sparse torches cast his features into distinct shadow and light. Link could not make out his eyes well, but saw that he had a pointed beard of stone and also stone for hair that rolled back from his brow line like a windswept mane of rock fur. With a long nose that was knobby as if it had been broken and high cheek bones, he made Link think of an especially large cat. A smile tugged at his lips at the comparison, but he suppressed it.

As this Goron and the guards talked, the other Gorons hung by quietly. The shortest was light brown-grey, with very little hair and a small pointed beard. He too had high cheekbones, but his face was very wide and his eyes were spaced too far apart. He had a short snub nose and a rather wide mouth that did not seem to suit him. This especially stood out as he kept giving those around him a strange, twisted smile that could easily be in good or ill humor.

The other Goron was very dark, greyer than the tallest. He had very low cheekbones, giving him a rounded face that, combined with a pointed beard and arching pointed hair and his wide mouth that was resting in an earnest smile, gave him a very friendly appearance. He had the same short snub nose as the shortest Goron, but his eyes were closer together, making him look just a little more human, normal.

After a moment of talk so low Link could not hear it, the guard turned to the rest of his group, exchanged a few whispers, and then announced loudly to the entire camp, "We'll all be resting together tonight with these Gorons who saved us. Treat your wounds, but save any extra cleanup for tomorrow morning. Tomorrow, we will all continue to Castle City, together."

There was a moment of profound silence. Link turned, looking at the faces of the crowd, but they mostly had their backs to the flames of the campfires, veiling their expressions in shadows. Those he could see looked more little confused and unsure rather than relieved. However, a murmur of assent rose. They all began to clear up what was needed, settling back down to sleep, calming the horses. After quickly cleaning his own wounds, Link helped one of the boys wipe down the sweat off of the same mare he had help wash, he spotted one of the Gorons walking by, the dark one of middle height with the friendly face. The mare did not respond to him, not even with a snort or a stomp of her hoof.

Remembering how the horses had panicked around the Stalchildren, Link thought, _I guess Gorons can't be all that bad, then. And they did save us._

After he finished helping, Link found Auru, who looked like he was about to drop over. They remade their bedding, but this time closer together than before, with only a couple pieces of their luggage between their blankets. As they settled down again, Link first put his sword in his blanket with him. Then he took off his hat, noticing where the monsters had torn it.

_I'll just have to sew it up tomorrow. _He sighed and folded it carefully, putting it down to use as a pillow. Lying down, Link tried to think of something to ask Auru. But he looked over and saw him sleeping, any scratches or cuts bandaged, still a little pale, but overall fine.

Rolling back over, Link curled up under his cloak. Even if he wanted to, he could not have stayed awake a moment longer.


	4. Chapter 1 Part 3

Someone was grabbing Link by the shoulders, shaking him. Mumbling incoherently, he opened one eye. Auru was sitting beside him, looking tired and peevish. It was before dawn, and the sky was a grey blue, with dark grey clouds threaded, wispy, all over.

"Link, this is the fourth time I woke you up!" he was saying as he rolled up his bedding. "You need to get up now, everyone's almost ready and we'll be going in a few minutes. We'll be left behind if you don't hurry!"

After yawning widely, Link began to slowly inch up. His head and leg ached strangely. Moving gingerly, he slowly sat up and reached for his head. His hat was gone. Looking around dully, he spotted it on the ground, where he had used it as a pillow. Picking it up, he unfolded it, slipping his hand inside. He felt out a tear in it, wide enough for him to slide all of his fingers through.

The memory of the dark night and the battle with the Stalchildren rushed back to his mind. He rubbed at his leg that was bandaged where one of the monsters had bit him. Feeling up at his scalp, he scraped off some dried blood from where one of them had grabbed his head. Looking at the blood as he crushed it in his hand, he shuddered.

Auru was folding up his bedding and strapping it with leather thongs to bundle it together with his other luggage. Eventually he paused, frowning at Link, who was still sitting down, in a daze, remembering the night before.

"What's the hold up, Link?"

"Huh? Oh…" Shaking himself, he began to pack his things.

"I can't believe all that happened last night," Auru was saying as Link worked. "I mean, I know everyone was talking about there being more monsters out in the field, but I never dreamed anything would happen to us. It was incredible."

Scowling, Link tied the rope around his cloak a little too vigorously as he thought, _I don't think 'incredible' is exactly the right way to describe it. _

Just as he finished bundling his things and hoisted them onto his back, the caravan began to move out. Auru continued to chat away about the previous night, becoming increasingly louder and animated. Link plodded on beside him, munching on a piece of dried pumpkin, only really taking in half of what Auru was telling him.

As the bleariness of sleep swept away from his eyes, he looked around as they walked down the low hill they had camped atop. To their right, the north, was Zora's River, which they still followed now as it flowed on to the north-west. Before them were the plains, increasingly hilly, with a few tiny, dark villages dotted in the distance. Behind the hills the moon was setting, fading with the ever lightening sky.

_But none of those villages are the city. It's supposed to be huge and right along the river, not in the field._ Link looked along the river ahead, searching. On its other side was another forest, filled with more coniferous, evergreen trees than the woods near Zora's Domain. Beyond the trees were far-off, enormous blue mountains, surrounded by a clear sky. Once he tried to look behind them, but it was hazy, cloudy and night was still hanging over the land; he could see little.

With a start, Link realized that a stranger was walking beside him, talking to Auru. Rubbing the last of the sleep from his eyes, Link recognized the strange scholar who was researching the Forbidden Woods. The scholar was skinny and short, with light blonde hair that was just beginning to turn grey. He wore practical brown and green clothing, a high quality leather belt with a fine buckle, along with a knife at his waist. He also wore a dark cloak that was made of whole, new material, bearing some embroidery around its edges.

"I wish we could talk with those Gorons," he muttered to Auru.

"Really? Well, why not? They're at the head of the caravan, right?" Auru began to walk faster, eagerly craning his head up to look for them. "Let's go introduce ourselves. What do you want to talk to them about so much anyways?"

Link followed them, wondering if he should interrupt as the scholar answered Auru hurriedly, "I don't want to bother them, you never know their tempers!"

Auru laughed. "That's a weird thing to say. I grew up around Zoras. How different can another species be?"

The scholar frowned, but his voice was still nervous, "Sometimes they don't like questions. But still, I wanted to find out why they're going to the city and who they are exactly. Plus, I enjoyed studying their culture when I was younger, but they've been so secretive lately, there have been no advances in that field. If I were to find out something new from them, it would be aid in validating my research group in the Forbidden Woods."

"Let's try it then. Plus, I don't know much about the Gorons, it'd be neat to learn about them." Auru looked back at Link, asking, "Hey, doesn't it sound like it might be interesting?"

He shrugged. "I'll come along."

The scholar was looking at him curiously. "I don't believe we've met. You're traveling with Auru?"

Link nodded as Auru walked between them, saying, "Yeah, he's going to be my brother, come this spring."

"Oh! So, he's the brother of that Layrel you're engaged to, eh?"

"That's right, he's Link." Auru grinned at Link, gesturing to the scholar, saying, "This is Talno. I can't believe you two hadn't properly met before this! Well, let's go and talk to those Gorons, shall we?"

"If you insist," Talno said, proceeding to walk ahead of them as they hurried to the front of the caravan.

Auru noticed Link frowning silently at him and raised his eyebrows, asking, "What? What're you so mad about?"

"I just never knew you were so talkative around strangers," Link answered, looking back ahead of them.

"What's the harm? Just because we need to be careful around 'city folk' doesn't mean everyone is suspicious. Lighten up, Link."

The Gorons came into view. As they approached them, Link realized just how big they were in the light of the dawn. The shortest was as tall as Link, but was vast, stocky and sturdy, well twice the width of Link. The darkest Goron of medium height was at least six feet and a half, and he had a wider belly than the other two. The tallest, who was walking ahead of the other two, was easily seven feet tall and looked as strong and firm as a gigantic boulder. Or a small mountain.

Talno slowed, waiting for Auru and Link. Link hung behind them as they walked over the Gorons. Auru looked cheerful and earnestly friendly and Talno was clearly trying to hide the fact that he was nervous. The contrast between them was almost comedic, especially when Talno quickly wiped off his brow and wrung his hands nervously. Link shook his head in exasperation.

The shortest Goron spotted them and smiled at them, in that strange, vague, twisted smile he had last night. Yet, in the pale dawn light with the warm glow of the sun beginning to fall on everyone, he looked a little friendlier, though not by much.

"You two don't look like this merchant lot," said the Goron, his voice mellow, but at a more medium pitch than Link was expecting. He had expected all of their voices to be low and gravelly like the largest one who had spoken last night.

"No, I'm just traveling to the city," said Auru, his face bright and smiling.

Not waiting for Talno to say anything, the Goron asked, "Is this your first time going to the city? Is it?"

Auru nodded. "Yes, I'm going to get an engagement jewelry piece for my fiancée."

"Ahhh." The Goron raised an eyebrow, his smile widening. "Hylian customs."

"You…guys don't do engagement and all that, huh?" Auru asked.

"No." The Goron shook his head. "No desire or need to."

"But there are young, child Gorons, isn't that right?" Talno asked very quickly, as if the question burst out on its own.

The Goron rolled his eyes slightly, but was still grinning. "Yeah, but they're born from the mountain. And that rarely happens. And we have nothing to do with it. It's supposed to be caused by Din, or something like that. But really, it hasn't happened for a long time."

"That's true," said the taller Goron, edging closer to the group. His voice was a little lower than the shortest Goron, but it was sincerely pleasant as he went on, "There hasn't been a child since, well, definitely over eight hundred years."

"Yes, Golo, thank you," said the shorter Goron, almost sneering at his companion, who did not seem to notice.

The short Goron, Auru, and Talno continued to chat, talking about the Gorons' home of Death Mountain, what their culture was like and how often they came out into the Hylian lands. Link listened for a while, but eventually stopped, feeling a little bored as they started using a lot of words he recalled reading in some of Purel books, but what they meant was still a mystery. Soon he noticed the other Goron, Golo, had fallen away from the others, slowing, nearing Link.

Setting his jaw, Link took a few paces to catch up and walk alongside Golo, catching his eye, saying, "Thanks for last night. If you three hadn't come, we'd probably all be dead by now."

To his surprise, Golo laughed, but it was good-humored. "That's true! But, it's no problem. Your king is our leader's sworn brother, after all. If you're his people, we should look out for you too, when we can." He gestured at Auru and Talno. "Are you traveling with them?"

"Yes, I'm traveling with Auru," Link indicated him. "It's our first time going to the city."

"That's a lot of fun. This is just my first time, too. We don't really go down to the city often."

Link thought back to the previous night, then asked, "So, is that how you fight, rolling up and trampling things like that?"

"Eh, well, it depends on the situation. If we always did that, we'd tear up our own mountain! No, we do other forms of fighting, too. Never with weapons though."

Link nodded. "I wouldn't need weapons either if I had rock all over me."

"Nor would you need them if you were made of the stone and earth itself!" Golo hit his dark, firm chest with a balled fist, as if for emphasis. Link first spotted light traces of what looked like pale white tattoos on the Goron's face, arms, and torso. Golo continued, "It must be hard to be made of flesh. No wonder you have to turn to using the earth for weapons. It's metal, right?"

Link noticed Golo was looking down at his sword and nodded. "Yes, and it's supposed to be pretty good quality. The man I'm borrowing from used to be a knight."

Golo snorted as if at some private joke, but then asked, "Can I see?"

"Sure." Silently, Link pulled it out, holding it forward horizontally for Golo to see.

"May I…?" He gestured at the blade.

Link nodded.

Not minding the blade's sharp edge, Golo picked the sword up by the blade. Gently he tapped it a few times, and would stop, still, as if listening. Link wondered what he was looking or listening. Before he could ask, the Goron handed it back to him, though he did not give it to him with the handle facing him. Hesitating, Link carefully reached out, reaching his arm around awkwardly to grab the handle safely.

As he sheathed his sword, Golo was saying, "It's not bad quality. It won't snap on you or anything like that soon, at least." Link decided it was not best to respond as Golo continued talking, telling him about the wrestling and different basic forms of hand-to-hand fighting that the Gorons used. This went on for nearly an hour, with Link hardly speaking, usually just nodding his head. While he was interested, he quickly realized that most of the fighting techniques that the Gorons used were really only useful if you weighed over eight hundred pounds and had no bones to break.

Eventually the short Goron asked Golo something about Death Mountain, and the two groups joined. They were discussing the geography of Death Mountain, though not in great detail, Link noticed. Talno and Auru were mainly concerned about the different types of shrines found on the mountain and how they were built and why. As the conversation continued in a variety of directions, the tallest Goron, still waking a ways in front of them, made no move to acknowledge or join their discussion.

"And that's why this will be my fifth time to the city," the shortest Goron, whose name was Dolo, was saying. "I can't believe we had to come back so soon, it's only been about a year."

"Yes, you three are going to the castle, correct?" asked Talno, whose shoulders and poise were relaxed, though his voice was still a little stiff. "It's pretty amazing. I haven't been there since I was young. Well, not inside, at least."

"That's where we're headed, actually," said Auru. "Not to see the royal family like you all, we're just going to check on my brother. He's a knight."

"A knight?" Golo and Dolo grinned at each other as the latter continued, "Oh, those…little fellows. They've got a strange career, don't they? They hardly do anything!" Ignoring Auru frowning at him, Dolo went on, "We're going to the castle on much more important business than that. I can't tell you much, but there's just been a lot going on lately that concerns both Hylians and Gorons. It's really pretty juicy, though nothing much has come of it."

"Does this have to do," Talno lowered his voice, and Link had to lean forward to hear as he asked, "with the Sages? I heard they're starting to look for them again."

Golo looked away, uncomfortable, but Dolo was nodding, "Yeah, something to do with that. Apparently there are different signs saying that at least some of the sages are going to return, or that there will be new ones, or something. I heard—"

"That's enough."

The tallest Goron was standing directly in their path, towering over them, his arms crossed. They all immediately stopped as he nailed Dolo with a foul look, saying, "Don't make me regret bringing you along."

Golo shifted and shuffled his feet uneasily as Dolo just said flippantly, "What's the arm? It wasn't like I was telling any details. Besides, anyone can find these things out."

"Dolo—"

"Look Durmuni, I wasn't going to say anymore, anyways," Dolo said quickly, almost snapping. But his expression and tone lightened as he asked, "But say, we have some green travelers here." It was all Link could do to not jump away as Dolo put a hand on his shoulder and the other on Auru's, his grasp frighteningly firm. "They're going up to the castle to visit their kid brother, a knight. How about letting them come with us?"

"Visiting a knight, hmm? Is this true?"

"Yeah, it is," said Auru, clearly trying to make his voice sound as light as possible even with Durmuni glowering down at him. "He's a new recruit, of three years, so I want to check up on him, give him news about my engagement, things like that. But, I mean, it's nice of Dolo to offer, but really we can go on our own—"

"There's no harm in it," interrupted Durmuni, looking back at Dolo. He then turned away, walking away from them, getting back to his place near the front of the caravan.

"That guy is too intense," Dolo muttered, finally taking his hands off of Auru and Link, who quickly stepped out of Dolo's reach. "Even if he's the tribe leader, he really needs to learn how to relax and not see everything as some far-fetched threat."

"You shouldn't speak that way," said Golo, disapproval in his voice, looking ahead nervously at Durmuni. "Besides, he can hear you."

"So," said Dolo loudly, turning back to Talno, "exactly what did you say you were doing down at the southern woods?"

In just a half hour, as the sun began to rise higher into the sky, the city came into sight. It was in the corner of a shallow valley, mostly surrounded by the river, with a large white wall shielding it all the way around. There were three enormous drawbridges leading out of the city and into the field. They were heading for the entrance on the eastern side, and as they began to walk down the hill towards the city, Link could see several other groups of travelers approaching the other city entrances, to the south and the west.

The city itself was very large, sprawling, composed of wood, brick and stone, scattered together randomly, giving little sense of an order or pattern. The buildings looked incredibly close together, almost smashed inside the city as if to make enough room for everything. The city covered a wide, irregularly shaped area in the valley, hosting what looked like well over five thousand buildings. Link tried for a moment to decide if there were more or less, but he quickly stopped trying.

Amidst the irregular, small, mashed buildings a few stood out. To the northern, far end of the city was a tall white building, surrounded by a small open space. There were also a few other taller buildings, most of them close together in a row, near the middle of the city, probably lining a few streets. Link noticed that the further away, further north the city was, the more stone buildings there were.

Beyond the main body of the city, at the foot of where the land sloped up, was what looked like a second town, made of stone, with more trees and patches of green and brown. It was also surrounded by a wall, three in fact, two of which went beyond the houses, further up the slope, encircling its peak. Upon the peak, surrounded by at least a mile of open, healthy land was the castle.

Auru was pointing at it, talking so loudly and energetically as if there was nothing grander in the world. Link realized his mouth was open as he stared at it and shut it. Raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun, he looked at the castle again. At first he thought that it was much smaller than he would have expected, but then realized it was probably at least five times bigger than fine stone buildings in the second area of the city. The castle was surrounded by a moat. It was constructed primarily of pale and white stone, but its roofs were a strong violet. It also had what looked like oversized wooden doors, but then Link remembered hearing about the castle, and decided those were drawbridges. There were other smaller buildings around the castle, but none were also encircled by the moat.

As they walked down to the city, which was soon hidden behind the towering, old walls, Dolo had started talking again about his own trips to the city. The others paid him full attention while Durmuni, still in the lead, stayed silent. Link focused on their surroundings as the caravan began to thin out, getting in single-file to go across the bridge and into the city. As the first wagons entered the city ahead of them, Link could hear the loud ruckus of human voices and life from the other side.

They crossed the drawbridge and were surrounded by the city. They were in a long, wide cobblestone street, full of more people than all the river villages combined. Link steadied himself, looking at the two-story buildings lining the streets. Made of brick, wood or gray slate stone, they had low windows with either shutters or actual glass and narrow, short doors. Most of them had fine, shingled roofs, slanted symmetrically. The buildings were so close together there was often no space whatsoever between them. When there was a narrow alley, they only led to even more people, and houses and other winding pathways into the city.

_It would be too easy to get lost in here. _

Gulping, he walked briskly, moving closer to Auru and the others. Quickly he glanced up to see most of the buildings around and ahead of them down the lane were all roughly the same height.

_ I guess I could always climb to the top of one if I was really lost. _

They continued through the city, separating from the caravan, sticking to the wider, main streets. The presence of the Gorons, mainly their girth, cleared them a fair path, preventing much chance of them being swept up or away in the largest crowds. There were masses of people, some animals and occasionally wagons laden with cargo, pulled by enormous horses.

A flurry of cuccos chased by a red-faced young girl with a net greeted them into the market, located in the large town square in the center of the town. Throughout the square were stalls and stands, bearing a vast variety of different wares, foods and occasionally small animals. The air was full of the noise of gabbling voices, mooing cows, the often indignant cries of cuccos and occasionally a barking dog. Dolo was dismissively pointing out the different types of stalls and all that he knew about their products. The scent of fresh bread reached Link and he clutched his gurgling stomach, reminding himself that he had eaten breakfast.

As they fought their way through the crowd, Link saw very little other than the immediate people, animals and booths in the square. Raising his voice, Dolo pointed over at a large fountain they were passing. It was in the middle of the square, and, when he peeked in, Link saw the emerald shards of broken rupees beneath the water. In the center of the fountain was a fine, intricate statue of Nayru made of white stone. Unadorned, her dress was flowing and simple; stone and true water cascaded around and at her feet. Her expression was peaceful and confident with a matronly smile on her face. Her eyes of sapphire rupees were half-closed, but it was clear that she was looking out at all around her. Looking back at the statue several times, Link noticed that none of the townspeople seemed to acknowledge it.

"The rest of the city isn't so crazy," Dolo was saying loudly. "This is just extra-crowded since it's the end of the market week, but it's usually pretty busy here. Though, what you really have to watch out for is the south-east section after night. I can go everywhere in this town at any time, but little meatbags like you would get robbed or killed by some of the criminals who hide around in the shadows."

"Don't worry too much though," Talno said firmly, looking at Auru and Link after shooting Dolo a dirty look. "If you stay away from the south-east, the city is very safe. The knights patrol it after sunset, and we even got rid of our wild dog problem."

"Wild dog problem?" Auru wondered aloud.

"Purel told us about it," Link said, nodding once to himself. "There were a lot of dogs who would roam the city at night, and it was a problem for property and for sanitation reasons."

"It's still pretty filthy," Dolo drawled, gesturing off-handedly towards three cows nearby that were being sold.

"It's certainly a lot better." Talno shuddered in disgust. "Let's just say that growing up down here was, cleanliness-wise, horrible compared to life after I moved to the aristocratic quarter."

"That's where we're headed now, right?" Auru asked.

"Yes, it's between the main city and the castle," Dolo said. "You're forced to go through it. It's so clean and quiet compared to this place."

"Sounds like it's not nearly as interesting," Golo said, grinning at a boisterous auction that they passed.

Dolo was replying in an exceedingly sarcastic tone, so Link tuned him out. He looked back around the market as they passed through its outskirts. The market was indeed full of a vast variety of people, though it was clear who was and was not from the city. The city folk in the crowd were largely blond with fairer skin and were dressed in clothes that were largely more decorative and less practical than the simpler clothes that Link, Auru and other countrymen and travelers in the crowd stood out in. As they passed a man with a curled blond-white mustache and an extravagant hat, Link remembered the gaping tear in his own and reminded himself to fix it as soon as possible.

In about fifteen minutes, they had reached the edge of the city. The noise began to fade, replaced by a quiet overall murmur that felt much tamer than the uncontrollable, unpredictable sounds of the market. The aristocratic quarter was full of large limestone buildings and streets, most of them houses. They had fenced yards with gardens and trees, kept in what seemed to Link unnaturally good condition in spite the season. Several people were out and about, most just talking with each other, wearing clothes that were fashionably extravagant instead of ridiculously so, though most wore jewels in either their clothing or as jewelry. Unlike in the city, where most everyone had just kept out of their way and treated them like just another part of the crowd, Link noticed the people here often spotted them and turned and walked away, often muttering amongst themselves. Looking down at his dirty, rough clothes and his bandage on his leg that was stained by blood, for the first time in his life Link felt like he was too dirty. Auru was still talking animatedly with the others in the group, but he too was wiping some dust off and even combing his hair back through his fingers. Realizing just how silly these futile attempts were, Link stopped fussing over his own clothes and just kept walking.

When they came to a cluster of large marble buildings, taller and longer than any of the houses, gated off by high, dark iron fences, Talno stopped, saying, "This is where I live, the only university in Hyrule. I study and teach here during the summer."

"Can I come visit you maybe?" Auru was grinning ear to ear. "I've always wanted to see the library in this place!"

"Certainly!" The Gorons had kept walking, following Durmuni, who did not seem to have noticed that the others had stopped. Golo gave a farewell smile to Talno as he continued, "You kids had best be going. I will look forward to seeing you soon!"

They turned away to follow the Gorons, Auru reluctantly so. They walked through the rest of the quarter, the houses growing increasingly larger and more luxuriant. Some of the yards were hidden by enormous hedges of holly bushes, while others sported small fountains and gated herb gardens. Dolo pointed out several houses as belonging to important members of the government and military or knighthood. Link began to wonder what it was like inside of the houses and if they ever got warm in the winter. He noticed that many had multiple chimneys, but certainly not enough to keep each room warm.

Soon, they reached the dark, dense walls and gates that led into the castle. There were knights patrolling the top of the wall and a few stood around the gates, holding their lances carelessly, one stretching lazily. They wore subtle dark purple garments, chain mail and helms with ridges on the brow and all along the middle of the head. On their chests, torso, arms and shins was metal armor with stylish, decorative engravings.

At the sight of the Gorons, the knights drew themselves up, on alert, but relaxed as they approached, clearly recognizing them. One of the knights came forward, bowing to Durmuni, saying, "The king is expecting you, sir. Please come inside."

"Of course," Durmuni replied curtly, with an acknowledging nod.

The knight looked up, revealing an old, wide face with a tidy goatee, his small eyes examining Link and Auru. "And you are?"  
"I'm Auru, this is Link." Auru bowed slightly towards the knights. "We're here to visit my brother, Bolek."

"Ahhh." The old knight stood up straight, sighing. "Bolek. Right. I remember your letters to him. How many did you send in this past year…?"

"Just about four, though he never replies." Auru shrugged dismissively.

"Yes, that's right. Well, go right in."

After the gates were raised, they walked through into the wide, tidy castle grounds, with rolling fertile hills, leading upwards to the highest hill, the peak, upon which the castle rested. Link could see out of season gardens and cropland, a large maze of tall, leafless brush, as well as a clear pond with several small streams winding through the land from it. Behind the castle were the hills outlining the valley, and beyond were the blue northern mountains. A cold breeze spun across the air, floating down to them, making Link shiver, rubbing his arms.

"Bolek will be on the east side of the castle, near the moat," the old knight was saying, pointing out towards the right of the castle. "As you walk, stay to the main path." There was a smooth path made of the same white material as the castle, winding widely up towards it, in plain sight of any of the knights on the walls or guarding the castle.

The Gorons turned away from them with the old knight, following him on a more direct path towards the castle. Auru bade them farewell, which Golo returned warmly and both Dolo and Durmuni ignored. Link frowned at Dolo's behavior, but Auru did not seem upset by it. As they began to walk down the main path together, he began to talk about how much Dolo made him think of Bolek when he was younger.

"He was always like that, too, acting just a little self-important." Auru chuckled. "Hopefully the knights have whipped him into shape, eh?"

Link thought back to the old knight's reaction to hearing Bolek's name, but did not say anything. They walked out along the open path, off into the grounds towards the castle, which loomed, towering ahead of them, dazzling and menacing against the clear sunny sky.


	5. Chapter 1 part 4

It took Link and Auru a good ten minutes to cross the castle grounds along the winding, main road and reach the east side of the castle. Link looked up to see the scaling towers and peaked roofs far above them. The sun was hovering towards the west, casting their side of the castle in shadow. With the chill wind blowing freely from the northern mountains, they shuddered in the shade. The knights, none wearing an additional cloak or cape, were rubbing their hands together, moving around to keep warm. One tall knight stood apart from the others, his lance slack at his side, looking away towards the mountains.

Auru approached the other knights, who stood up straight, their expressions curious yet still rather bored as he asked, "Is Bolek around here?"

"Bolek? Yeah, he's over there." The knight who had answered them jerked his head towards the tall knight standing off in the distance. "Who are you, though?"

"You look similar to him," said another, younger knight. "Are you his brother who keeps writing to him?"  
Auru frowned. "Yes. Does everyone know about that?  
"Only because his manners are so horrible." The young knight was shaking his head contemptuously. "He doesn't keep it a secret that he ignores your letters, even though you're his only family. Everyone knows about, because he doesn't shut up when he's off duty. And the way he talks to his superiors…Really, is everyone from his village like that?"

Immediately Auru turned away, striding quickly towards his brother. Link followed, hurrying to keep up with him, glancing back to see the knights talking amongst themselves. Turning back ahead, he caught up to Auru as they reached Bolek.

"_Bolek._" Auru's voice was calm and even, but it was unusually hard.

He turned around, a distinctly bored look on his face. His expression transformed into one of shock; he started back away from them. Staring, he noiselessly formed out their names as he began to scowl.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked gruffly, standing up straight and holding his lance more firmly in his hand.

Auru slowly drew his hand over his brow, kneading it, saying in a long-suffering voice, "Oh, just wishing you were six years old again and I could knock some sense into you."

Bolek glared at his brother. Auru was still a little taller than he, but lacked the stalwart, muscular build that Bolek possessed. He was still growing into it, but even so his stature was much more formidable than Auru's or Link's.

"What are you really here for?" Bolek asked, his finger tapping impatiently on his spear.

"Just some news that might interest you a little bit. It regards our family, even though you obviously don't care about that anymore—but our family is about to get bigger."

Bolek stared at him, his lips pursed. "You're…getting married? Really?" He raised an eyebrow, a grin creeping onto his face. "_You?_"

"Yes, me, guy who _didn't _run off to be a knight and left behind the village that admired him without a word. Do you have any idea how worried everyone was? And once you got here, did you bother to let me know, _anyone _know, that you were alive?!" Auru was shouting as he railed on, "No! And once you get here, do you make yourself a proper knight, one to make me and the village proud?! No, apparently that's too much of a bother for you!"

Bolek tried to speak up for himself but his brother talked over him, listing out the ways he had heard and imagined that Bolek had made a complete idiot of himself and gave the village a bad name.

Link noticed the other knights were staring and began to wish that Auru would be quiet and just knock his brother one in the jaw if he was so upset. But he knew that Auru had never really been able to use physical force to try and chastise his brother, who had been bigger than him for most of their lives. So he had always stuck to verbal volleys, though they had never worked, and they did certainly did not now. Bolek was not able to shout over Auru, but he did not look cowed, just bored and annoyed. When he realized Link was watching him he shot him a glare, as if it was all his fault. On instinct Link clenched his fists and returned the glare, but did not say anything.

When Auru finally stopped to draw a breath, Bolek cut in, "_Alright!_ So who are you marrying?"

Auru exhaled slowly, then took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm himself, and replied shortly, "My fiancée is Layrel."

Groaning, Bolek looked at Link contemptuously. "So this means this dumb idiot is going to be my brother now? Perfect. That's just what I needed, a couple more idiots in the family to take care of."

"Too bad this isn't about you," Auru snapped.

"Too bad you can't just not marry her."

Finally Link spoke up, quickly before Auru could say anything, "Don't be ridiculous! They're not going to not get married just because of _you_."

Inside he winced at how severe his voice sounded, but, he reminded himself that this was Bolek. Floating into his mind was the strong memory of when he had tricked Link into going down the wrong way in the woods. Misdirected, he proceeded to get lost for a week, almost died of exposure and spent two days sleepless in a tree after a bear had attacked him.

_He deserves it, _Link assured himself, focusing on the old wounds that were reopening.

Yet Bolek did not seem to have noticed that Link had said anything, as he carried on, "I mean, she's what, how many years younger than you? Honestly, couldn't you wait to see if there's someone else? She's just a kid!"

"That—"

Link interrupted Auru, "She is not 'just a kid'—"

Once again, Bolek ignored him and carried on loudly, "I mean, think of some of the girls in the other villages. There's at least one beauty down there who is a scholarly nerd like you, I bet. Think about it, do you really want ugly, scrawny kids in the family? That girl has always been so thin and—"

Shoving past Auru, Link was nearly bristling. "The one who needs to worry about looking ugly is you."

Bolek stood up straight, leaning away from Link a little, his eyebrows raised in surprise. "Ohhh, Link! I didn't notice you there. Were you finally saying something, or just grunting and mumbling like usual?"

"I was saying you should stop talking."

"You must know a lot about that."

"Hold on you two! You guys aren't kids and this isn't the village. Calm down!" Auru's voice was a little high, worried, but it was easy to ignore. He tried to put his hand on Link's shoulder, but he shrugged him off.

"Just don't insult my sister again," he said in a low voice.

"Or what?" Bolek leaned down to Link's eye level, sneering at him. "I'm covered in armor, you'll just bounce off. I can say whatever I want. If my family is going to include your little, ratty brat of a sister, I'm—"

He was cut off as Link's left fist connected solidly with his unprotected nose. Auru was groaning in exasperation, grabbing at Link's shoulders again to pull him back. Bolek recoiled, letting his lance fall, holding at his nose. It was not quite broken, but it was bleeding.

"Stop! Stop, you two!" One of the middle-aged knights was running over to them. "I don't know what's going on, but you can't assault—"

"I don't need you butting in old man!" Bolek snapped, his voice a little thick as he tilted his head back, trying to stop the blood flow.

"You—" The knight shut his mouth firmly, looking furious. Turning around towards Link, he grabbed his arm firmly, saying, "I don't care, just get out of here! I don't want any more trouble from you two!"

"I can go on my own."

Link shrugged roughly out of the knight's grasp and stormed away. Hesitating, he quickly glanced back to Auru. The hot exhilaration of adrenaline that had come with his confrontation with Bolek died. Auru was looking pale and tired as he tried to talk to his brother, reaching out as if to help. Bolek shouted at him and turned away, his body tense and his expression furious. Any feeling of excitement utterly vanished, Link turned away and walked out towards the hilly castle grounds, in mind to head for the gate that they had entered through and wait there.

Finally, Link stopped. He was surrounded by gigantic holly bushes, twice as tall as he was. He supposed that he must be in the giant castle grounds maze that Purel had told him about. He had lost track of the trail on the grounds, tried to find his own way and wound up here. For at least five minutes he had been trying to find his way out, only to find himself at yet another dead end.

Sighing, he steeled himself and started walking again. Spotting a dead branch, he snapped it off, dragging it in the ground to mark his progress.

_I probably should have done this earlier, _he thought sullenly. But then he thought back to the scene with Bolek. As satisfying as it had been to punch him, he realized now how much harder he had made things for Auru. Even though Auru was upset with his brother, Link knew that he wanted things to be peaceful and close in their family. Otherwise, he would not have bothered to come all the way out here.

Stopping in his tracks, Link realized he had come to another dead end. He lightly slapped his face with his cold hands.

_Focus, focus or you'll never get out of here. _

Keeping his mind wholly on his progress in the maze, he turned out of the dead end and continued. Eventually he began to pass trails he had marked and quickly learned to avoid them or to follow them until they branched off to a new trail. Eventually he found himself on the last unmarked path and followed it. The holly kept the wind away from him, but as he walked, he could see his breath. Dropping his stick and blowing on his hands, he broke out into a quick jog.

The end of the maze came into view and he slowed down a little. Rubbing his hands, he grinned morosely, wondering if Auru was still talking to Bolek. Or perhaps he was searching for him.

A strange shimmering noise, like the leaves rustling in the fall and the sound of steel wind chimes, reached his ears. The sound was so unusual he froze, frowning, peering ahead cautiously. When the noise did not return, he kept walking, but this time slowly and softly as if he was in the woods.

Suddenly the sound erupted as if someone was violently shaking a fine bell. He could also hear the sound of male voices. Yet it was all muffled, coming from behind the right side of the holly bushes. Link walked along them, leaning down, trying to peer through the winding dark green holly leaves and sparse red berries. There were a few open patches, but all he could see was the end of a stone courtyard with very low, dead hedges. He kept going until he was almost at the end of the holly, then stopped.

Through the bush he could see a couple knights, both young, hunching around one of the bushes as if studying it. Smiling to himself, Link felt a little silly for being so anxious. But then the shimmering noise returned.

One of the knights was holding up a bottle, smiling at it unpleasantly. Inside was a teal ball of light with four delicate, insect-like wings. The light bounced at the bottle furiously, trying to break free.

_A fairy! _Link's mouth was hanging open, but he quickly shut it. Wondering what the knights were trying to do, he watched them attentively, his right hand tracing his scabbard. The knights' voices were louder, laughing, and carried over through the hedge.

"Finally! Thought we'd never get 'im," said one, grinning, stroking at his small mustache. "I wouldn't have thought of using a bottle, Georg. Good call."

The one holding the bottle, Georg, looked at the fairy closely, squinting his small eyes. "This is perfect, she's in fine condition. You owe me for this, Werin. Once we sell her tonight, we can finally get back to the city."

Link turned away, dashing out of the holly maze. Taking a sharp corner, he ran into the small, open courtyard where the knights were. They spotted him and ducked away, trying to hide the bottle behind them.

"What are you doing here?" snapped Georg loudly.

Link glared at them. "What are you trying to do with that fairy?"

"It's none of your business, kid," Werin said. He walked back, picking his lance off of the ground. "Now, get out of here before you get arrested!"

Link's hand rested lightly on his sword's hilt. He walked slowly towards the knights, yet stopped before he was within the lance's reach. "Let her go."

Grunting furiously, Werin hurried towards him, thrusting his lance out as Gerog began to run away. Link sidestepped the lance, grabbing and directing it down into a patch of dirt, driving it in deeply. Werin lost his balance, and before he could recover Link shoved him, knocking him over.

Georg was running away, shouting, "Attack! Attack next to the maze!"

Sprinting, Link caught up with him and used his elbow to hit him in an unprotected area of the back. The knight was thrown to the ground, the bottle and the fairy flying out of his grasp and into the air. Lunging, Link caught the bottle and tripped over the fallen knight. Twisting he landed on his side, holding the bottle to himself, keeping it from shattering.

Breathing quickly, he heard the noise of approaching knights in the distance. Hurriedly he grabbed the bottle's fat cork and, after a moment's struggle, pulled it open. The fairy darted out just as a group of knights came into view, running into the courtyard.

Link screamed as the fairy dove down and directly into his shirt. He could feel her warm light, but when he looked down, he could not see it through his thick, faded green shirt, nor was there any bulge.

"Get up." Armed knights were glaring down at him, their lances pointed directly at him. One of them Link recognized as the old knight who had let them in through the gate. He looked tired and annoyed. Behind him the knights who had captured the fairy were standing up, dusting themselves off.

Link stood up as they were furiously explained, "This guy appeared out of nowhere and just started attacking us! He was after that bottle!"

Realizing he was still holding said bottle, Link immediately held it out, saying, "No, I wasn't. I don't want it."

The bottle was taken from him as the old knight was rubbed his eyes, asking, "Why would you do all that just for a bottle?"  
"Well, he's obviously poor," Georg said with a small smirk. "Some of these people will do anything for just about anything they can't own."

Link rolled his eyes, looking back at the old knight, saying, "I'm telling you, that's not why I'm—OW!"

Something sharp had bit him hard on the stomach.

He could feel the fairy's warmth down there, but she went behind him, up his back. He could hear a small, slight voice whispering, "If you say anything about me, I'm going to pull out the hairs on your chest. And that will _really, really hurt._"

Link muttered back, "But I'm not, I'm—"

"SHUT. UP."

The fairy bit him again, twisting his skin. He cringed, leaning away, hissing, "Fine, fine! Stop that!"

The knights were staring at him, looking at each other, unsure. The old one spoke up again, "Boy, there's something wrong with you."

"Sir Quin, let's just throw in him the dungeon, eh?" Werin suggested to the old knight, his expression and tone hopeful.

The other knights were nodding, but Quin looked skeptical. "Whatever this boy is, he _is _related to a knight. We need to bring him to his family and do this properly."

Link thought about mentioning that Bolek was not his brother yet, and even when he was he would be a poor excuse for one. But he kept his mouth shut. As the knights led him inside, he felt the burning stares of the two knights who had tried to capture the fairy. Trying his best to ignore them, he looked ahead as they walked towards the large, lowered drawbridge leading into Hyrule Castle.


	6. Chapter 1 part 5

Snow was beginning to fall lightly as Link waited with the knights in the large courtyard just inside the castle walls. The walls surrounded them at a distance, reaching down a wide lane on both sides. Lines of about fifteen well-spaced, old oak trees lined each path. Ahead of them was a much shorter wall connected to the castle itself. It seemed much larger, as big as a small mountain, now that Link was at its very foot. All around in the courtyard were knights, simply dressed servants or very well-dressed aristocrats, most hurrying inside from the snow or cleaning up some leaves hastily. The ground was rough, white cobblestones, on which the snow stuck, hardly melting.

The old knight, Quin, had left them inside the castle, going back out to find Auru and Bolek. Link still had the teal fairy silent and hiding in his shirt. Every now and then she would flutter around, ticklish, and he forced himself not to react. He could still feel the furious gazes of the Georg and Werin, the two knights who had tried to capture the fairy.

To distract himself, he looked around. The large, open, cold courtyard of stone seemed incredibly bleak compared to the trees, earth and nature to which he was accustomed. A cold wind dove down in the yard and blew around, nipping at them ruthlessly. Sucking in his lips, Link tried not to shiver, focusing on the warmth of the fairy's hidden light.

Hurrying into the courtyard came the Quin, followed by Auru and Bolek. Auru's forehead was creased deeply and his gaze darted between Link and all the other knights uneasily. Bolek was only slightly smirking, his posture very relaxed, though he kept rubbing his hands to keep them warm.

"So, what did you…" Auru distractedly ran his fingers through his hair, looking at Quin. "What did Link do? What happened?"

"He assaulted and tried to rob me," said Georg severely. He nailed Link with an accusing glare, probably remembering how Link had wrestled away from him the bottle in which the fairy had been trapped.

Bolek openly smirked. "Finally snapped, eh Link?"

"Shut up, you know Link wouldn't do this," Auru said hurriedly, shooting a quick glare at his brother. "What will happen?"

Quin folded his arms. "Well, considering he's Bolek's relative—"

"Not yet he isn't," Bolek interrupted.

"I'm engaged to his sister, that's close enough," Auru said, giving Bolek another dirty look.

Quin nodded slowly. Engagements were not permanent as marriage, but they were very rarely broken. "Therefore, as a relative of a knight, he has the right to some proper proceedings."

"He tried to rob me!" shouted Georg furiously, pointing accusingly at Link. "What proceedings does he need?!"

"Well, the whole situation was extremely strange, wasn't it?!" Quin was almost shouting, and he looked quizzically at all around him. "This boy attacks Georg and Werin, two armed and armored knights, in some futile robbery attempt, even though all good sense would direct him to not make such a foolish attempt. After all, he's definitely seen how many knights there are on just the castle grounds. Furthermore, once we capture him he proceeded to…to yelp and flail about like he got a rat in his shirt that was biting him—" Link felt his cheeks grow warm, remembering his wild reactions when the fairy had bit him. He could feel Auru and Bolek looking at him as Quin carried on: "—and yet he didn't struggle once, and his lifelong friend," he gestured at Auru, "insists that he's the last person in the world who would ever dream or robbery or unprovoked assault."

"He _did _punch me, you know," Bolek said, pointing at his nose, which still had some traces of blood.

Quin looked at him, saying dryly, "Bolek, there's no doubt in my mind that this any harm this boy did to you was absolutely provoked and probably justified." Before Bolek could say any more, he turned to everyone else, saying, "We need someone else to judge this case properly."

Link shuddered, not from the cold, but from the fairy fluttering around in his shirt, back up to his collar on his back, near his ear. He could hear her whispering, "Hey, don't say anything about me right now. I'll do any talking if you get Princess Zelda. Then I can get you out of this."

"Princess Zelda?" Link spoke aloud without thinking about it, but then he realized all eyes were on him.

"You want to ask the _princess _to judge this?!" Bolek asked incredulously, shaking his head earnestly surprised. "You're crazy!"

"There's no one who would hear this case, much less the princess," sniffed Werin, exchanging a smug glance with Georg. "This is absurd. The boy is just stalling."

"Now wait a moment, this isn't quite out of her Highness's area." Quin staring past them all, lost in his thoughts. "In fact, she has been expressing desire to be involved in the knight's business a little more. This would be good for that."

"Are you serious?" Bolek stepped back, now staring at Quin. "The princess?! There's no way this would work!"

Quin smiled thinly at him. "Since you're so excited, you will certainly be coming with us, Bolek. Help me escort your brothers to find the princess."

He stared at him for a moment, dumb-founded, but then composed himself, stubbornly folding his arms. "Link is _not _my brother."

Ignoring any further protests, even the loudest ones from Georg and Werin, Quin led them into the castle. Auru followed, walking beside Link, with Bolek in the rear. Link found it very easy to ignore his grumbling as they walked inside the long corridors and staircases of the castle. They passed through narrow hallways, lined with hanging, ornate tapestries. Often they headed up broad staircases with windows shining in light upon each step. The ceiling in the halls was low, but in the open stretches of rooms and stairwells the ceiling was very high, vaulting above them in curved domes. They passed several other people, both the aristocrats and other knights, several of whom greeted Quin. Before heading inside, Link's wrists had been loosely tied together with rope. Every person that passed them spotted this and would either hurry away or give him a condemning look. However he paid them little heed, turning his attention to the intricate details found in the tapestries, the carvings in the walls, the etchings on the handrails and the designs in the few stained glass windows they passed. Outside, he could see snow was now falling heavily.

"Princess Zelda's study is near," Quin said as they turned a corner into a long, spacious hallway with large glass windows and vaulted ceilings laden with pale tiles of multiple hues. Standing in the hall, looking out one of the windows was Dolo and Golo. Golo looked away, noticing and grinning at them. The sight of his earnest, friendly face somehow made Link feel a little calmer, though he was not sure why. He let his shoulders relax, realizing just how tense he had been.

Dolo also looked at them as they neared, spotting Link's rope handcuffs. "Oh dear." He smiled humorlessly. "Dare I ask what this is about?"

"You don't need to concern yourselves about it, sirs," Quin said, nodding to them as he passed.

"What did he do?" Golo asked, beginning to follow them.

"It's just a misunderstanding," Auru said quickly.

"Where are you head to? You gonna execute him or something?" Dolo asked, also following them. Link noticed that Bolek did not react to the Gorons behind him other than to move a few paces ahead of them to give them enough room.

"His case is very strange and we're going to see if we may bring it to the princess," Quin answered. "Again, you don't need to—"

Dolo was elbowing Golo. "Hey, you want to meet this princess?"

He nodded in reply as Quin shrugged. "You can come if you like, but we don't know if she'll bother to judge the case."

"Where's Durmuni?" Auru asked, looking back at Dolo as they reached the end of the hallway and turned towards another flight of stairs.

"He's in audience with the king. He doesn't need us there," Dolo replied dismissively. He continued to talk on his own, about an unrelated subject in regards to his own prior experiences at Hyrule Castle. The others listened, but Link kept his attention and gaze ahead of him, clenching his fists and trying to keep his nerves calm. Yet, with each step they took, it seemed harder to do so. He bit down on his lip very hard and winced slightly, sucking it in.

_Just relax, the fairy said she would take care of it. _He could still feel the fairy's warm light where she was around the middle of his back. _I've just got to trust she'll get me out of this, as long as we can meet the princess…_

They reached the top of the stairs, arriving at another hall. It was wide, with a low ceiling and a long, dull red rug on the ground. Out the small windows lining the left side of the hall, Link could see the castle grounds laid out beneath them, looking distant and small. He supposed they were at the top of one of the castle towers, or near the top at least. For a moment, his legs felt uneven and wobbly beneath him, but he steadied himself.

They walked down the hall. Ahead of them was a woman, standing silently outside of one of large double wooden doors. With very light hair pulled back tightly and skin that was tan as if aged by many years in the sunlight, Link was not sure what age she was. Quin walked ahead to her and she turned to face him. Her face had some faint signs of age, but also appeared very youthful. She wore a sleek, long, embroidered black tunic and multiple fine yet flexible leather and silver belts. On her legs were fitted black pants and high leather boots with light armor over the knees and shins. Around her shoulders was an orange and dark blue shawl, and underneath Link barely glimpsed a long knife.

"What is it, Sir Quin?" she asked in a strong, throaty voice. Looking past the old knight, she inclined her head to the Gorons. Golo did the same eagerly, but Dolo barely managed a curt nod.

"It's this boy." Quin indicated Link. "He is charged with assaulting and attempting to rob two knights. However, he had no motivation and would have only made the attempt if he was an complete fool, which doesn't appear to be the case."

"Perhaps he was just desperate. What was he trying to steal?"  
"A corked bottle."

A shadow of a smirk appeared on the woman's face. "A bottle. Really?"

"That appears to be the case. The knights are insisting he goes to the dungeon. The evidence and all witnesses are against him, certainly, but…" Quin shrugged.

The woman glanced at the door, her irises clearly red as she looked back at them, looking Link in the eye. "Very well. The princess is not exactly otherwise occupied. She has wanted to work with the knights, and this would be fine. I'll get her. Stay here."

The woman easily swung one of the heavy wooden doors open and disappeared inside, closing the door neatly behind her. They waited in silence, all noise from the other room blocked out by the thick wood and solid stone. Link remembered Purel telling them stories about Princess Zelda, how at even a young age she was considered the fairest in the land. His mind running through the small number of beauties that he had ever met, Link wondered exactly what Zelda would look like. Or, more importantly, how she would act and think. If the fairy suddenly decided to not vouch for him or made a poor case, for whatever reason, he was putting his fate solely into Zelda's hands.

_But fairies are supposed to be wise, so this must be a good decision. But then again, if this fairy is so smart, how did she get captured so easily? _Link gulped. _This was such a bad idea. _

The door opened and the woman returned, followed by another, much younger woman: Zelda. Her hair was a light, reddish blonde and hung down around her shoulders. Her bangs were held back by a simple, delicate headband made of cloth and gold, with a golden triangle laced on her forehead. Against skin that was very fair without looking sickly her deep blue eyes stood out, alert, lively and definitely intelligent. She was just about as tall as Link, wearing a blue dress with a long, heavily embroidered purple shawl that trailed like a cape behind her. The ends of her sleeves reached past her wrists and separated, flowing out like feathers.

She looked past him to the Gorons, smiling graciously. "How are you? I heard you have just arrived. I apologize for not greeting you early, but things have been so busy." Her voice was light but not silly or girly, and it was a fair, pleasant pitch. Gulping, Link felt his eyes drying out and began to blink furiously, hoping she had not noticed him staring.

"Don't worry about it, Princess," Dolo said easily. "It's not like we haven't met before."

"But I do not believe I've met your countryman." She looked directly at Golo, who looked just a little abashed. "And you are…?"

"Golo," he replied, his voice sounding just a little thick.

Link surreptitiously rubbed his mouth, wondering if he could even speak if the princess addressed him.

Thankfully, she did not, and instead kept talking to Golo, "I'm sure we'll have plenty to time to get to know each other better. The weather looks like it's taking a turn for the worse, doesn't it?"

Golo laughed, good-humoredly but just a little nervously. "Oh, the weather is no bother for us. We could certainly make it home no matter how the weather, if we wished."

"That's true." Zelda gave him one last, almost too-perfect smile before turning to Quin. "Now, what was the matter?"

"It's this boy, Princess, he is charged with assault and attempted theft upon two knight."

She turned her gaze upon Link, her voice firm as she asked, "What did you attempt to steal?"

To his everlasting horror, the only response he managed was a jerky laugh as the fairy swooped down, tickling him as she crawled down along his side and then swooping up his chest. Thankfully the princess only looked like she thought he was insane for just a moment before the fairy flew out of his shirt and into the air, circling a few times as if stretching her wings.

There was a collective gasp and Dolo barked, "A fairy?! They're supposed to be extinct, or vanished!"

"This boy rescued me," the fairy was saying in her little, mellow voice, floating evenly between Zelda and Link.

"He rescued you?!" Zelda was staring, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar, almost all of her poise and composure gone. "From whom? What happened?"

"What do you think?!" snapped the fairy, the shimmering sound returning as she flapped her wings rapidly, bobbing up and down in a jerky, agitated manner. "Those two brutes you call knights, that's who! They were trying to put me in a bottle and sell me to some black market in the city!"

"I…" Zelda drew herself up, clasping her hands, her face awash with concern. "I had no idea our knights were engaged in such things!"

Quin nodded his head in furtive agreement as the fairy made a strange, high-pitched noise that might have been a derisive snort.

"But this is unprecedented either way," the woman in black said in her calm voice. "Fairies haven't been seen for over a hundred years."

"Amazing." Auru walked over, looking from Link to the fairy, his expression lighting up, a grin creeping onto his face. "This is amazing, Link! You saw a fairy just about ten years ago, and now this!"

"Hmph, perhaps they're out in the country more or something," cut in Dolo dismissively, but no one paid him much heed.

"But a real fairy…" Auru looked back at her, his eyes shining. "How old are you? Are you from a fairy fountain? Well of course you are, but which one? Do you—"

"A-anyways," the fairy floated over towards Zelda, as if unsettled by Auru's enraptured attention, "don't bother this boy, Link or whatever his name is. He helped me out a little and he definitely wasn't doing anything wrong, okay?"

"That's true, is it?" Zelda asked, glancing once at him but not taking her eyes off the fairy.

When the fairy did not answer and Zelda looked at him again, he nodded. "They had put her in a bottle and—"

"I could have gotten out on my own," the fairy muttered.  
"And so I just—"

"Yeah yeah, he jumped in and helped me some, but like I said, I could have gotten out on my own!"

"Why didn't you?" Auru asked innocently.

"That doesn't matter!" She flew back away from them, towards one of the nearby windows. "Just that he's not the problem, it's those knights, alright? You be sure to get them! Now I'm out of here!" She whammed herself against the window, which did not budge. Turning back towards Link, she snapped, "Open it for me, would you?!"

He easily slipped his hands out of the rope handcuffs and walked over and, finding the latch, unlocked the window and pushed its heavy glass pane open. Immediately the fairy flew out. The others hurried to the windows; Zelda and Auru were calling after the fairy, but she had vanished from sight in the heavy, windy snows.

After a moment, the woman in black addressed Quin, saying, "Go and fetch the two knights who were accusing this boy. Do a complete investigation with them if necessary."

"At once." Quin turned and bowed to Zelda and then strode away quickly.

Bolek made to follow, but Zelda called out, "Oh, you, the young knight!" He froze, slowly turning around as she said, "Thank you for your part in this. I don't believe we've met before. Why are you tangled in this? Are you working with Quin on the guard?"

"No." Bolek was almost mumbling. Out of the corner of his eye, Link spotted Auru tensing. He was gritting his teeth, staring apprehensively at Bolek, who continued, "I just know him, he's going to be by brother."

"Oh, you're marrying his sister?" Zelda asked, smiling broadly.

"No, no, my brother is." He gestured carelessly at Auru, who nodded politely.

"That's wonderful! Well, you should be going to help Quin now."

Without a bow or even a nod or courteous word, Bolek turned and hurried away. Link could hear someone tittering softly, and realized it was coming from the woman in black. The moment he looked at her she stopped and met his eye unflinchingly. Immediately he looked away.

"Now, young man, what was your name?"

Link stood up straighter, realizing Zelda was addressing him. Hoping it was not obvious as he gulped again, he answered, "I'm Link."

"And you?" She turned her gaze on Auru.

"I'm Auru, your majesty."

"And, I'm supposing you know our guests, Dolo and Golo?"

"Sure they do," Dolo answered before anyone else had a chance. "We traveled over here together, saved them and their caravan from being eaten by Stalchildren."

Zelda's face fell. "I've heard about the monsters getting worse. It's dreadful. Really, between the monsters and the trade for rare monsters and creatures on the rise in the city, along with everything else that shouldn't be going on…well, it's quite the age we live in. Even now, just look at the weather!" She gracefully gestured with one arm at the heavy snows, which were now coming down so hard that at moments all they could see was pure white. "It would certainly be best if you would stay the night, at the very least."

"Are you sure?" Auru's tone was polite, but he was already smiling. "We don't want to impose, your majesty."

"Oh, it's no imposition!" She laughed lightly, in a way that struck Link as being a little forced. "Since you're Bolek's brothers, we'll certainly be able to find a place for you down amongst the knight's bunks. Don't worry about a single thing. If you have any questions, just ask any knights you meet and tell them that I was the one who decided you'll be staying there."

"I know my way around this place," Dolo said, folding his arms. "And I've got time to kill. They won't get lost."

"That's perfect. I leave it in your hands, then!"

Before Dolo could say anything, Auru hurriedly thanked the princess. She just waved it away, and then excused herself, slipping back inside her study. The woman in black closed the door behind the princess and then resumed her place in the hallway. As they walked away down the hall towards the stairs, listening to Dolo's monologue about the castle's layout, Link wondered if the woman in black was still watching them. Scratching the back of his neck nervously, he glanced back a few times, but she was just looking out the window. Link did the same, and all he could see was white.


	7. Chapter 1 Part 6

Zelda woke up in her bed, immediately aware of the cold, biting air. Not bothering to open her eyes, she snuggled deeper into the warmth of her blankets, pulling them over her head. After a moment of basking in the warmth of the shell of blankets and quilts, she peeked out. In her small bedroom, the fire was lit, kept fresh through the night by one of her servants. The firelight and the cold light peeking in through her curtains were the only things illuminating her dark room. Slowly she sat up, keeping the blankets wrapped around her.

_It's a lot colder this morning. _

Slipping out of bed into her thick, luxuriously soft slippers, she rubbed her arms and pulled her thick nightgown close around her neck as she padded over to the curtains. Drawing them back, she stared outside, her hands clenching the heavy, soft curtains tightly and not releasing them.

Outside was pure white. The snow was still falling, though it was an intense blizzard that destroyed all chance of visibility. She frowned at the scene, twisting the curtains in her grip. One of her maids was knocking at her door and she told her to enter.

After getting dressed and ready for the day, complete with a light touch of painted makeup with the help of the maid, Zelda sent her away. In her place came a tall woman in black, with light hair and skin that was tan as if with years of sunlight. Her red irises stood out from her dark dress and long, dark blue cloak with dull orange tassels.

"Good morning, Zelda," she said in a calm, clear voice.

"This weather really is horrific, isn't it?" she commented as the woman pulled out a small scroll. "Is that the list for today? Impa…you know I like to make those on my own."

Impa handled her the scroll, and she unrolled it, revealing a list of her tasks for the day, written in fine, black ink. "You were tired after your research yesterday, so I took the liberty of doing this for you." A faint smile traced Impa's lips. "I knew you would sleep in, with this weather. You've always slept longer when it's cold, ever since you were young."

"Oh, yes, I wonder why?" Zelda asked airily, her attention focused on the list. Remembering the events of the previous evening, she looked back at Impa. "Those two young men who were visiting the castle, they're still here, right?"

"Yes, they're bunking with the knights. They had plenty of spare room for them."

"Let them know that they must stay here until this storm ends. It would be fatal to try to travel even to the city in this weather."

"If you wish."

Zelda hurried to her open wardrobe and pulled out a small red shawl lined with dark fur. As she slipped it on, she said, "I'm going to meet with the Magician's Guild to talk about this weather. It may be of magical nature, so I'll have to get them to look into that. And then I'll get on this list right away." She firmly rolled up her list, and put it in a small, long pocket on the inside of the shawl.

Impa held the door open for her. "Have a good morning, Princess."

"Yes yes, you too." Zelda stalked away, already wondering how she was going to motivate the Guild this time.

"Your majesty, there are only four of us in the castle now, so the idea is rather unreasonable." The head of the Magician's Guild, Sir Carock, was looking down his long nose at Zelda, though at a very subtle angle that would suggest to most observers that he was not doing so. He stroked his short, cropped beard quickly, pulling at it impatiently. The wrinkles of a man just beginning to depart middle age showed as he smiled, saying, "And, I know your majesty is too occupied to aid us in a spell of this strength."

Zelda almost rolled her eyes, but instead made it look as though she was just contemplating the enormous chandelier hanging above the round maple wood table at which they were seated. They were in an average castle room, though it had no windows, and only rugs surrounded the walls that curved up to a high ceiling. Directly below the chandelier, in the middle of the room, was the large, square table. There were many tall wooden chairs surrounding it, but only five were occupied. Other than Zelda, who sat across from Carock, there were three other men on the other sides of the table. One was on Zelda's left side, sitting closer to Carock's side, was the youngest man with a bald head covered by a tall, embroidered purple hat with tasteful gold leaf. On her right, sitting near each other in the middle, where two middle aged men. One was rather fat, with light, wispy hair and a large, furry cape that he wrapped around him in the cold room that did not have any fireplace. The other man had dark hair and a pointed face and he leaned forward with his elbows on the table. Although his body language told he was engaged in the proceedings, his expression looked rather bored.

"This storm is very incredible, out of season and also wholly unpredicted by any of our meteorologists," said Zelda in a firm voice. "There is a fair probability it is caused by magic. I would like you to discover if that is the case, and then and only then will we do more to combat it." Carock begin to speak, but she quickly talked over him, "And if we hesitate to at least consider this possibility, we may be frozen to death before we can do anything, given that we discover that this is a cursed storm. I ask that you begin this spell today. And on a final note, within the castle now, there are some civilians who are not part of the castle household. If worst does come to worst and we have to only save a few people from some magical, frozen onslaught, the priority of this castle is and always will be the civilians."

Carock was glowering at her as the fat man, who was looking colder by the minute, spoke up, "I don't want this weather to get any worse because we were too negligent. I second her motion."

"As do I," said the youngest man, sitting up straight, giving Carock an apologetic look. "I believe that it's better safe than sorry, and frankly, there is little to lose."

"And after all," Zelda smiled, her voice glowing, "I'm sure this spell will be no mean feat for the Magician's Guild, especially with you here, Sir Carock. We all have faith in your abilities, which are frankly unparalleled. And, of course, we know you and every member possesses the capability for this type of spell. Frankly, with you four together and Sir Carock leading, it should not be difficult at all. The entire castle trusts you with our fate."

Carock smirked at her and she just smiled back, knowing that from the beginning he knew she was just flattering them. He had known her for all his life. But he still nodded.

"We'll get to it in an hour's time. Expect a report by tomorrow night, at the latest."

Immediately, she arose. "Thank you all so very much." Giving them all one final, gracious smile, she turned and left the room, using magic to make the door open on its own for her and close behind her quietly.

On the other side, walking by, was a tall woman, dressed in a bright, layered dress and a white cloak of light material. Most of her black hair was tucked away inside a gold and blue hat that had a couple long tassels on each side of her square face. She stopped and nodded to Zelda, looking rather drowsy and just a little annoyed.

"How are you doing, Princess?" she asked, proceeding to stifle a yawn.

"Good morning, Valarah. Did you need something with the guild? Or with me?"

"Actually, I just wanted to have a chat with Carock. Is he in the meeting room now? See, we got into a…discussion last night about my magic." She shrugged dismissively. "I just wanted to remind him a few things and get them off my mind before starting the day."

"Oh, could you keep it for later? I only just succeeded in getting him to agree to do something for me. I don't want to damage that."

She frowned deeply, folding her thick arms. "Well, that won't do, not at all." She shrugged. "But if you say so, I'll just have to wait. If have to."

Zelda bit her lip. "And, you might want to use more polite language when talking to him. Might make things a little easier."

Valarah just fluttered her hand airily. "Whatever you say, princess. I'll do that." She grinned at her. "I heard about the fairy yesterday. Oh, I bet you were incredibly excited, hm?"

Her eyebrows rose. "Oh? You heard about that?"

"Oh please Princess! It's a fairy, everyone's heard about it. They're too rare for everyone NOT to hear about it."

"I see. But, you weren't even there. You knew I was really excited to see the fairy?" She shook her head, smiling. "You're better than Impa."

"Or maybe we're in cahoots to just make you think we're both much more intuitive than we really are." She winked at her, then turned, walking away. Still shaking her head, Zelda walked as slowly as she could towards the rest of her day.

It was the second day since the snowfall had begun and Link found himself cleaning the knights' swords in their large armory. The armory was an extensive, dark stone room, partially underground, and was full with both weapons and suits of armor. Looking out the high window, he could see the snow was still falling fast and heavy, the snowflakes large, clumped together. Yet the snowfall was not quite as intense as it had been earlier that day. The first day after the blizzard started, the head night, Quin, had told Link and Auru that they had to remain in the castle grounds until the storm had completely ceased. Auru had been sent to help with the high-class merchants who were taking refuge in the castle, having come to display their wares to the castle seamstress and had been trapped by the weather. Link, meanwhile, showed his knowledge of managing weapons, leather, and metal to Quin, who had sent him to work in the armory.

Bolek had somehow become his taskmaster. Fully intent on getting revenge for Link punching him in the nose, he had woken Link up this morning by banging two old pots together right above his head. Soon after that he had rudely and hastily thrown him into the armory, giving him no time or chance for breakfast. About once an hour he came to check on his progress, each time declaring it unsatisfactory due to the most minor of insignificant flaws. At the moment, Link found himself still working on the tenth out of the hundred swords in the room. As he tried to rub an old, strange stain off its pommel, he felt how imbalanced the weapon was. Grabbing the hilt, he held out the sword and scowled at its horrible craftsmanship, wondering why they did not just melt the thing down and get it out of his workload.

Two hours passed and his instincts told him it was a couple hours past noon. Yet, Bolek had not come to check on him. His stomach growling in hunger, he sheathed the sword he was currently working on and set it with the others. After waiting for a few more minutes, he shoved his cleaning materials under the stone bench and picked up his cloak. Donning it, he left the room.

_I'll be back before he comes to check on me. If he comes._

He hurried up a short, winding staircase, one of the exits from the armory. Sparse lanterns lit his path to the top of the stairs. The door was ajar, leading into a smaller store room. There were a few wooden crates, covered by worn, tattered blankets. Passing them, he headed for the small door; bracing himself, he slowly pushed it open.

A cold wind pierced right through him, and thick, icy snowflakes were assaulting him, stinging at his face. Pulling the cloak up around him more securely, he stepped outside into the snow and closed the door behind him. He was in the castle's back, northern courtyard, which looked very similar to the southern one in front that he had passed through two days ago. It was largely empty, with symmetrical rows of tall oak trees lining the yard as it wrapped around the castle. However, this yard was mostly natural, frozen earth and ground, with sparse stone walkways.

Here, exiting the wall of the castle, he could see the entrance to the stables on the left end of the courtyard. At the castle building straight ahead of him were the large doors that led inside, leading towards the kitchen and feasting hall. On his right, the castle dipped down into a wall that branched out and met the wall that encircling all of the courtyards. Here, connecting the north and west yard, were four high, narrow open arches in the middle of the wall, just wide enough for a single horseman to fit through.

Folding his arms, he walked out into the snow, making reasonable speed. Due to the winds, the snow was not as high as it could potentially be. Yet, it still reached up halfway to his knees. Sometimes it was firm enough to walk on, but then the wind would pick up, blowing it away from underneath him and sending him sprawling to regain his balance.

The wind weakened to a strong breeze as he went through the courtyard, heading for one of the small doors on the back of the castle, near the stables. Passing the stable entrance, he could see the warm lights of torches in the cracks of the wooden shutters and the wide, high open doorway. With the howl of the wind dissipating, he could hear voices from inside the stables. Frowning, he stopped, realizing one was Bolek's, laughing nervously, obnoxiously loud.

For a moment he stood there, unsure, and then without bothering to think about it, he headed for the stables. The wind continued to die as he drew nearer, and he could distinctly hear Bolek talking in a loud, bragging tone.

Link gritted his teeth. _He doesn't have time to work, but he has time to boast and make jokes? Wait, who would he be making them with? Seems like everyone here doesn't like him very much._

He entered the warm, well-lit stables, where the earthy smells of horse, hay and droppings greeted him like warm waves. The wind and snow clawed at his back, but could not follow as he went inside down a short wooden hallway. A horse's stable was directly across from him, the door to it shut except for a section open for the horse's neck and head. A white horse, with a head as big as his torso, was looking at him sleepily. Shaking his head in amazement at the horses' huge size, Link slowed to a stop. Bolek's loud voice was ringing in the stables and in his ears, he looked around the corner.

Down both sides was a single, wide lane, flanked by horses stalls. Some of the stalls had horses heads leaning out, most of them looking bored, at least one gnawing on its wooden door. One of them, just a few stalls down the aisle to Link's right, was tossing its black head restlessly. Near it were Bolek and a young woman Link's age.

Bolek, his helmet off to reveal his thick, red-orange hair, was standing in the middle of the aisle, his arms crossed, his crimson cape pulled back from his chest so his muscular arms would not be hidden. He was talking with his hands, making wide, demonstrative gestures with his arms as he said, "And even though they said I couldn't, I managed to throw that jerk clear across Zora's River! And that river is really, really wide. I'm about the only guy who could pull something like that off."

Listening to him, standing just beside the head of the black horse was a girl. She had long, wavy red hair reaching down to her elbows. Her top was a thick, woolen white sweater with simple blue embroidery, with a leather belt of good material. Her skirt was long and purple with a leather apron that was almost just as long and covered with decorative red stitching. The boots she wore were sturdy, thick and good for the snow. Hiding her neck and shoulders was a yellow, fringed shawl. Her hands and wrists were gloved, so the only skin she bared was her long, pointed ears and her heart-shaped face, which bore freckles and a healthy, delicate tan that made the sky-blue shade of her round eyes stand out.

"So, what you're saying is," she interrupted Bolek, her voice carrying a subtle but distinct drawl that told she was not from the city, "you always do things like throw people over creeks and stuff when they lose to you in these contests of yours?"

"Well, sure, but only if they deserve it," Bolek said, nodding sagely.

"Oh. Alright."

The black horse began to move its head around, bobbing it nervously. Immediately the young woman turned around and stroked it, undaunted by the fact that she almost had to reach up on her toes to pat the top of the horse's neck. After it calmed down a little, she moved to face Bolek, but stopped, noticing Link.

"And who are you?" She raised her eyebrows, craning her neck to look at him. "You don't look like a stable boy."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not." Link walked out as Bolek spun to look at him, glaring.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the armory?" he snapped.

"You didn't come, so I thought I'd go and get some food," Link replied, reaching them, meeting Bolek's glare.

"You two know each other?" the young woman asked, taking a step towards Link, who self-consciously took half a step back from her.

"He's that jerk I was telling the story about," Bolek said, shooting Link a smirk.

"Did he really throw you across a river?" the young woman asked.

Before Bolek could protest, Link quickly answered, "No, he just threw me right into it. The river is too wide in the first place."

"Uh huh. Wait a moment…" The young woman was pointing at him, her eyes lighting up, a smile spreading on her face. "You're that boy who came up from some village two days ago! You got into a fight and got arrested and all that—you're the fairy boy!"

Link shifted in place, frowning uneasily. "Not everyone knows about that, do they?"

"Are you kidding? It's a fairy, all of the household has been talking about it. I've been trying to get _this guy_," she gestured at Bolek, who looked grievously insulted, "to tell me more about it. But now you both can tell me! Oh, a real fairy!" She clasped her hands. "Was she beautiful?"

Thinking of the teal ball of light with wings that had bit him and threatened to pull out his chest hairs if he did not obey her, Link just shrugged.

The young woman's face fell at his response, but Bolek immediately spoke up, "S-she was very impressive! With the wings and…she really glowed and—"

The woman turned on him. "Really? What color was she?"

"Uh, blue. Yeah, blue!"

"Oh wow." She suddenly burst into giggles, turning back on Link. "Was she really in your shirt?!"

Link slowly nodded, which only made her giggle harder.

When she had stopped, she wiped her eyes, saying, "Ahh, that's great! I'm happy I could meet you, fairy boy." She extended her gloved hand. "I'm Malon."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a jerk of movement from Bolek and, as if on reflex, he immediately grabbed Malon's hand, shaking it firmly. Her grip on him was secure and strong, and as their hands parted he wondered what sort of job she had.

"I'm Link. Do you work here, Malon?"

Malon intertwined her fingers absentmindedly as she answered, "Oh, no, not me. I'm just here to deliver some horses from my family's ranch, Lon Lon Ranch. We've got the best horses in Hyrule!"

Before Link could even open his mouth, Bolek immediately asked, "Do you always travel out here alone? That's really dangerous."

Malon rolled her eyes and looked at Bolek. "Please, Bolek. We train our horses to be fighters." Link noticed her gaze kept drifting down to Bolek's large, muscled, folded arms as she continued, "Believe me, I've had my fair share of ghosts and ghouls, and I'm not some green traveler. As long as I've got my horses and my head on my shoulders, I'm just fine!" She looked at Link, straight in the eye, saying, "If anything it's the men that bother me."

When Link just shrugged uncertainly, Bolek hastily spoke up, "You mean the city cads? I can't believe they'd go after a farm girl like you."

Malon frowned, nailing Bolek with a look. "You can't believe they'd go after me? And, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, it…"

Bolek tried to formulate a reply unsuccessfully and looked so genuinely upset that Link hastily spoke up, "I think he means that city guys shouldn't pick on girls. Or something like that."

He ignored Bolek glaring at him as Malon nodded thoughtfully. "That's true, but sometimes things can in the country, but again," standing up straight, she intertwined her fingers again and stretched her hands, cracking her knuckles, "I guess the country is actually worse. Most city guys just run for cover when they meet a real country girl, rather than these prim, prissy dolls in the city. Do you know what I mean?"

Link supposed that her use of 'dolls' was some form of slang and just shrugged again. As Malon began to talk, going on about how pitifully skinny everyone was in the city and how they must not eat well, a knight entered the stable. He hurried over, nodding curtly to Malon who smiled back and just kept talking as the knight whispered something to Bolek. In response he scowled, shooting a furious look at the knight.

"Just get back to your post already," he muttered, then hurried away, leaving the stables.

"—and the horse stepped all over her dress, the poor thing was screaming like a pig, but then I got them up here without any more problems and the snow began to fall, and I've been working here ever since then, since most of the stable hands got sick recently." Malon took a breath and then looking at Link, saying, "You know, I could use some extra help. You should come by after you're done with your…armory work, or whatever Bolek said it was."

Bolek cleared his throat and said, "I have to go back to my duties now—"

"Okay, right, have a good time!" Malon waved at him, and then looked back at Link. "So, you'll help me, right?"

Link waited until Bolek had stormed off before he said answered, "Yeah, it…" He looked back at Malon, who was looking expectantly at him. He carefully formed the words as he finished, "It sounds nice."

"Great! You go and finish with your work that so we can get started sooner than later. I can tell, you'll be a natural with horses, fairy boy."

Link just nodded, walking away from her backwards in a daze until he tripped and nearly fell over a bag of oats. Hearing her giggles, he spun around and hurried away stiffly, his cheeks burning. Before he exited the stable, he slowed and looked back once.

She was standing in front of the black horse's stable, feeding it something out of her hand. Her face was clear and vibrant, and her red hair sparkled, catching the light from one of the many lanterns hanging from the ceiling. With her bright, light colored clothes that suited her eyes and skin perfectly, she looked like a picture in and of herself, if roughly flecked by straw and dust. Yet even they looked golden in the light, and only served to complete the picture. She spotted him staring and waved him away. Immediately he ducked out of sight, not bothering to pull his cloak up as he rushed out into the cold; the snow seemed to just melt away.


	8. Chapter 1 Part 7

The rest of the armory seem almost clean itself up, caught up in a whirlwind of frenzied, rough scrubbing, washing and polishing. When a knight came to inspect, he was speechless at Link's speedy progress. After making him redo a few things, he declared the job finished. Immediately, Link rushed to put his cleaning equipment away back in a nearby room where soap was stored, and then hurried to the stables.

"Great timing, fairy boy!" The moment he entered, Malon threw him a pitchfork. "You're just in time to help me muck the stalls!"

After some instructions, Malon had him cleaning and putting down fresh straw for all fifty eight stalls. She told him that there were even more stables out on the castle grounds, and the Stablemaster was currently stranded there. As he cleaned each stall, Malon would lead the horse out and pace it around the courtyard. As Link worked, he noticed that most of the horses were very frisky in the snow. They tossed their heads and even kicked out at the snow; some bucked around in what he thought was a very childish manner. Malon seemed completely relaxed working with the even the largest horse, which was brown with thick feathers as white as the snow. He leaned against the pitchfork and watched them for a while until Malon noticed and motioned for him to get back to work.

After they had finished, Link knew it was nearing late afternoon. After putting away the last horse, Malon left him, going to fetch some water. He was not very dirty, but was covered with straw and dust. His body was sore, but he felt more awake and alive with the exercise than he had in a few days. Pacing up and down the stable corridors, he easily stretched his arms and back out. Some of the horses watched him and, when he lingered by one, it sneezed on him.

"I'm back!" The horses Malon had brought from her ranch pricked their ears up and looked over for her at the sound of her voice. Link felt just like them, turning around quickly, standing up straight, hastily picking a piece of straw from his hair as she came into view, easily carrying a large wooden bucket that was steaming. Under her arm she had a rolled up dry towel.

"It's the least I can do since I got you to work for me." She handed him the bucket, which was very heavy and full of hot water. After he set it down she gave him the towel, and then dragged a wooden stool over from a corner. "Just wash yourself off some, but don't get yourself too wet or you'll freeze out there!"

Link smiled, grateful. "Thank you for this." Sitting down, he began to rub his arms off with the hot water. He noticed that a distinct layer of dirt and dust was coming off and he scrubbed harder with his knuckles.

"Have you been around horses much, Link?" Malon asked, leaning against the wall, watching him.

He shook his head.

"I thought so. You're pretty nervous around them."

Trying to focus less on her figure in the corner of his eye and more on scrubbing his hands, he asked, "You could tell?"

"Yep. The horses can tell, too. They're probably the smartest animals around."

"Maybe." He looked up at the horse across from him, whose back was turned to them. "They're…definitely different."

"Ohh, yes, that's definitely true!"

"But, you know…" Link leaned back towards the water, pulling up his sleeves and rubbing down his arms. "You are really calm around them, you must know all there is to know about them—"

Malon let out a burst into laughter, then stifled it down, exclaiming, "Oh, no! If only! Horses are a total mystery, really. I mean, I've been around them my whole life, but there's no way I could ever completely understand or know everything about them. They're kind of like…" She gestured her arms, looking around as if for the answer. "They're like…men."

Frowning, Link thought that the concept applied better to women, but did not say anything. Malon walked in front of him, just on the other side of the bucket and crouched down to his eye level, smiling warmly. Her face so suddenly close, he immediately sat up straight, almost shooting out of his seat.

"You're really funny, fairy boy, we really should keep working together." She cocked her head, her expression sobering slightly. "I hope I haven't scared you off with getting you to muck the stalls first thing. There's a lot more to working with horses than just that. Horses are a mystery, but I promise they really are a lot of fun to work with."

Waiting for an answer, she looked straight at him, their gazes locking. Link froze, not sure if he felt like a deer when it's spotted a wolf or if he just wanted to immediately nod overeagerly in agreement, bobbing up and down his head like an idiot. He just quickly shook his head, trying to clear it.

"Yeah—of course. That sounds nice."

"Oh, that's good." She sighed, standing up. The moment her back was turned, Link hastily went back to scrubbing down his arms and then his neck, desperate for something to do.

"I mean, if you don't work with me, who knows who I might get stuck with," Malon was saying in a slightly dreamy voice. Link was relieved she kept her back turned as she continued, "I mean, I might get stuck with someone…like that Bolek. How do you know him, anyways?" She turned around and Link intently kept his eyes downward, continuing to scrub his hair.

"His brother is engaged to my sister," he said quickly, rubbing his hands through his hair a little too hard.

"So you'll be brothers then! Well, that's…nice. He'll be an interesting brother to have. He was in here talking about all the things he did at his town by the creek and all. It was…interesting."

"It's a river."

"Oh, right, his town by the river. Which river was it, exactly? You're from there too, right?"

They continued to chat until the water cooled and Link finished rubbing the dust and dirt off of himself as much as he could without taking any clothes off. Malon once suggested that he could take his shirt off and give himself a full rub down, since he would probably not get another chance to wash himself off at all for a while. Although he came from a fishing town where he had gone around shirtless nearly all of his life while working, no matter who was in the area, Link had furiously shook his head no. To his relief, Malon quickly dropped the topic of his refusal.

Afterwards, she took the bucket and towel, starting towards the exit. "Let's go see how hard the snow is coming down out there now."

The snow was only lightly falling, though the breeze was still very strong. As it grew, the snowfall grew thinner and thinner.

"Looks like its letting up for a while." Link leaned forward, looking at the light, cloudy sky.

"That's good." She looked at him. "Do you think that you could take a message to the Stablemaster, out in the grounds? I promised that I would let him know how I was managing things. If you could go and let him know I'm done for the day? And, if he asks for details, just say you just started working, but say that the horses had food, water, clean stalls, they've been cleaned thoroughly and put through their paces, and that they'll be blanketed tonight." Her eyes almost seemed to be sparkling as she asked him in a strangely sweet voice, "Would you do this for me? It would be a huge help."

He nodded automatically. "Sure. Yeah, sure. Sounds fine."

"Great! I'll take care of everything here, you hurry and do that message before the weather gets bad. Come back to the stables once you're done, alright?"

Again, he just nodded and began to walk out into the courtyard until she shouted after him, "Wait wait! Your cloak! You'll need that!"

Not bothering to try to reply he stiffly walked back inside the stables, grabbed his cloak and hurriedly pulled it over his shoulders and paced back outside, trying to not make eye contact with her as he continued towards one of the drawbridges that led out to the castle grounds.

The guards upon the castle walls refused to lower the drawbridges. Instead, they directed Link to a small door, hidden on the east side of the wall, that led out into the grounds. He quickly found it and passed through, closing the door behind him.

As he looked out at the bleak, frozen view of the rolling, sloping castle grounds, he realized he had absolutely no idea where exactly the Stablemaster was located. There were no guards on the area of the wall above him at the moment, so he walked out into the grounds, looking around and up at the wall, waiting for someone to show up. He thought about going back to ask Malon, but imagined her laughing at him for not asking in the first place and dismissed the idea.

The wind was immensely cold, and the snows blew around in the wind from the ground. Even though there was currently no snow falling, there was plenty being whipped into the air, blurring his surroundings and assailing all within their reach with frozen, sharp specks. Shielding his eyes with his arm, he kept walking towards the front of the castle walls.

The wind died a little, and the area cleared. He stopped. He was in a clear, partially gated area that must have been a garden, with low lumps of bushes covered in white, iced walkways in between in thin rows of the bushes and the tall, half-naked trees. Frowning, he spotted something thick, snow-covered and irregularly lumpy in the center of the area.

It was a snowman. As he walked over to it, he wondered who on earth would bother to build a snowman in this weather. Brushing out some of the thick snow from his hair, he allowed that the wet snow would make building the snowman easy, but it still made little sense.

He was now right in front of it, leaning forward, sizing it up. It was just a little taller than he. Very lumpy, it looked more like large, windswept chucks of snow bunched together rather than a properly formed, three-part snowman. It had an extremely vast bottom and middle, topped with what was the ugliest, undecorated snowman head and face Link had ever seen. He leaned forward further, just about a foot away from it, looking at its strange, large, indistinguishable white head.

Suddenly, it had eyes. He stepped back, but did not look or run away. The eyes were smaller than his own, but were a dark, deep blue, though the left one looked slightly faded, as if it had been damaged.

For a long moment, it just looked at him and he at it.

"What are you doing out here?"

A deep, strong voice had come from the snowman. It began to move, and the snow fell away as it rose up, revealing a Goron. It was Durmuni, the tribe leader.

Link stared at him, but then internally shook himself and managed to answer, "I—I'm trying to find the stables out here."

Durmuni raised one rocky eyebrow, saying, "Unlike me, you could freeze, and the snow will return soon. Go back inside."

"I would, but I need to just deliver a message to them."

"You're not a member of the castle household. You're not a courier. Why would you be delivering a message that would risk your life?"

Frowning thoughtfully, Link answered slowly, "I'm just delivering a message from the woman helping in the stables inside the castle. She wanted it delivered so I just sort of…" He trailed off, realizing he had not thought this entire venture through.

"Ahhh, a woman. That's why." Durmuni almost smiled. "The strange things that Hylian women get their male counterparts to do never cease to astound me. Yet, I have little to do at the moment. I'll lead you to the stables."

Link hoped he did not look too surprised as he thanked Durmuni, who did not answer, but immediately began to walk away, to his right. As he followed, Link stayed in the paths that the Goron cut through in the snow or stepped in his large footprints. He walked at a brisk, steady pace, unaffected by the wind or fallen snow, and sometimes Link had to jog to keep up with him. Moving at this pace, they soon reached the stables. They were large, low and mostly wood, hosting what looked and smelled like well over two hundred horses. Surrounding the stables were short, thick pine trees that blocked the wind. The snow had begun to fall again. Durmuni stopped just outside the line of pine trees, waiting while Link ran inside.

He was quickly directed to the Stablemaster, who interrogated Link a little about the horses back at the castle, but easily gave his approval. Soon he sent Link away, directing him to let Malon know that he trusted her. As he exited the stables and went outside the encircling pine trees, Link found Durmuni still there, looking away at the hazy, grey and white world. The snow was falling a little harder, and the wind was relentless.

Spotting him, Durmuni said, "Let's return. The snow will worsen quickly, and I want to hear the report from the Magician's Guild."

"What would that be about?" Link asked.

As they began to walk back towards the castle, Durmuni answered, "It's a test performed by a league of the most powerful magicians among the aristocracy. Apparently in magical skill they are just as, or perhaps more powerful, than the King Hyrule and the Princess Zelda, and they've been set on determining whether or not this storm is magical." He shook his head. "It might just be a sudden blizzard, but apparently the…meteorologists of the castle say otherwise. The Guild had some trouble yesterday, and so they're supposed to announce the nature of the storm this evening."

The snow was falling harder, heavier and icier, almost like hail. Link pulled his cloak up over his head, shielding his face, while Durmuni just bent his head down a little, otherwise unaffected. They continued on without talking until they reached the castle wall, and trailed it until they reached the small door that Link had come in through. However, it had been locked behind him, and they could not see any guards up on the wall.

"Incompetent," Durmuni was muttering under his breath. "Knowing there's a door here, and not keeping constant watch on it; this would be the easiest place for anyone to break in through."

Immediately he curled up and rolled away speedily and messily, sending snow flying everywhere. Link wiped it off of himself hastily. After a few moments, he could hear Durmuni's voice, shouting at someone, loud over the wind. Hastily Link stood back as Durmuni came rolling back into sight and stopped before the door, uncurling and standing up straight in one swift movement, glaring up at the wall expectantly, his arms crossed.

After a few seconds passed and no one showed, he sighed. "He was on the other side of the castle. It might take a while." He turned his attention towards Link. "And you, you're going to become a knight, are you?"

Blinking rapidly in surprise, Link answered, "No. Why do you ask?"

"You were armed, and were not cowering with the others during the Stalchild attack." Durmuni frowned. "You seek to be an independent warrior of some sort, then? Golo told me about all that he told you about our type of combat…" He narrowed his eyes. "_All of it. _You haven't told anyone else about any of it, have you?"

Link quickly shook his head no. "It never really occurred to me to do so."

"See that it doesn't."

Durmuni turned his gaze away, glaring up at the wall again, waiting for the knights. Deciding to stay silent, Link busied himself by staring at the ground and pulling his cloak around him against the wind. He repeated the gesture several times, just willing to have something to do to make things feel a little less awkward.

Thankfully a guard soon arrived and hurried to unlock the door and let them in. They walked through the small east courtyard and up into the northern one, where the stables and the entrance to the castle were located. Loitering around the large castle doors were Golo and Dolo. Dolo spotted them and immediately walked over, looking peevish. Golo followed him, his shoulders slumped.

As they met in the middle of the yard, Dolo loudly asked, "Was there something to do outside that you were busy with all day? I thought we weren't supposed to leave the castle grounds."

"I went outside to get some air, but the snow is picking up again, so it's too dangerous for anyone now," Durmuni answered.

"Could I go out later, if it lets up again?" Golo asked, absentmindedly grinding his knuckles together in a slow, habitual fashion.

"Haven't you kept busy in the castle?" Durmuni asked.

"Yes, but they keep giving us easier things since we're guests," Golo said, sitting down on the ground and folding his arms, looking up at Durmuni. "I'm not trying to complain, I—"

"If we were allowed to go out into the city, this wouldn't be a problem," Dolo interrupted. Golo looked at the ground, silent, sulking.

"Nonsense. The castle may be assaulted by malignant magic, and you want to abandon our allies?" Durmuni snorted, and Link guessed it was disdainful, but it also sounded like the snort of an enraged wild boar, about the charge. As if responding to it, Dolo lifted up his hands defensively.

"I'm just saying. And Golo is getting restless."

"Bored, are you?" Durmuni asked. Golo nodded, and he continued, "Well, I heard you told Link here a great deal about Goron martial arts. And the boy shows decent potential, and never intends to be a knight. Perhaps you two should train together to use your energy and pass the time."

Link and Golo both stared at Durmuni; Link leaned back a little in surprise, his mouth hanging open, while Golo's expression was lighting up excitedly. But in one instant, it fell and, glancing at Link nervously, Golo stood up and walked over to Durmuni, whispering something in his ear. The other Goron nearly smiled, raising an eyebrow at Link.

"No, I don't think that will be a problem, Golo," Durumni said as Golo stepped back. He looked relieved as Durmuni went on, "You two will be fine. I'm sure there's plenty to learn from each other, and I know you will only improve." He looked at Link. "What do you say?"

Smiling broadly, Link immediately nodded. "That would be great! I would—"

"Really?" interrupted Dolo loudly in a drawling voice. He rolled his eyes. "Sure, the kid doesn't intend to be a knight, and seeing all the trouble he got into with them a couple days ago, I guess we can believe that. But teaching a human Goron skills?"

"They'll be doing general training, no specifics," Durmuni said, his voice lower than before, sounding just a little impatient.

"Okay, but really, what's going to happen? You know this guy," he jerked his head at Golo, who looked down at the ground, "has no self control. Think of all the damage he's done back home! One minute of training and this kid will be snapped in two—"

"That won't happen." Link spoke up without thinking, but Golo was looking so embarrassed and ashamed that he could not help it, and, ignoring their surprised looks, kept going in a firm voice, "When we were talking about your martial arts and fighting, he knew what he was talking about. He knows what he'll be doing."

"And you know that, Dolo." Durmuni was glowering at him. "Golo has just as much experience as any other Goron. We're all a little rough around the edges in some areas, but I know this will be fine. Again, it'll be good for them both. And…" He raised an eyebrow, a small smirk creeping on his face, "Since you're so worried, you can supervise their training."

Dolo snorted angrily and opened his mouth to snap, but Durmuni took a small step forward, standing straight, towering over him. Immediately Dolo took a step back, unnerved, but he quickly recovered and shrugged easily. "Fine, fine. No problem. Somebody's got to do it."

"Link?"

They all turned, seeing Malon approaching, wearing a dark yellow cloak, shielding herself against the increasing wind and snow.

Suddenly remembering at the sight of her, as she reached them Link turned to her, saying, "I got the message to the Stablemaster, and he said it was alright. All you're doing, that is. He said he trusts you with the horses."

"Great, that's good, but we should go inside." Her eyebrows were knit in worry, and she looked at the Gorons, asking, "Have you heard? The Magician's Guild just announced that this storm is caused by magic. And look, just now…" She pointed up at the sky. They all looked to see the clouds were swirling faster than the winds allowed, and increasingly growing darker. There was the distant sound of rumbling thunder.

"That training will have to wait til tomorrow," Durmuni said. "We all need to get inside, now."

"Let's get going, Link," Malon said, already walking towards the stables. Link began to follow, but slowed, looking back at the Gorons. Golo was smiling, saying, "We'll train tomorrow for sure, Link!" He smiled in return, nodding.

"Let's go." Durmuni began to walk away towards the castle, and the other two followed. Dolo shot Link a dark look. Realizing Link noticed, he tried to turn it into a grin, but just wound up looking sour.

As they hurried away, Link turned and followed after Malon, glancing once more up at the sky. The clouds were swirling overhead like a whirlpool, some as dark as night. As he entered the stables, the freezing wind returned, chasing them all, bitter, scratching, followed by no longer snow, but violent, noisy hail.


	9. Chapter 1 Part 8

For the third time in five minutes, Link found himself flat on his back on the cold, stone floor, his head ringing. Dolo was laughing again and as Link pulled himself up, Golo was still standing across from him. He was leaning forward in place, his stance ready, grinning encouragingly.

"Let's try again!" he said. "Remember to keep your knees bent!"

Nodding, Link rubbed his chest where the Goron had just managed to strike him and knock him over. "What is this called again?"

"It's from a southern form called _sumo_," spoke up Dolo before the Golo could say anything. "We changed it some, but that's it."

"Don't worry about trying to knock me over yet, Durmuni said you need to be faster." Golo frowned as they stood across from each other, ready to fight. "It must be hard to be so small, only really able to rely on your speed!"

Link did not answer as he leaned forward, bending his knees, adjusting his weight. After a moment, Golo lunged at him and he immediately sidestepped. The form of wrestling they were practicing as focused on coordination and judging one's own reach and the reach of the opponent. Used to knowing the reach of a sword, Link found the weaponless form to be unusual, but enjoyable, and was not discouraged. He knew that the blows he had and would sustain during practice would probably turn into impressive bruises, but he was not dissuaded.

That morning, awoken early by Auru, they found intense, gigantic hail was assailing the castle. While the sturdy structures were wholly unaffected, it made going outside for even a minute or more impossible. And so when Link had gone to the stables, he found Malon already up and taking care of very bored and restless horses. Over the morning they calmed down as Malon took each of them out and walked them up and down the stables a few times and brushed them, but she still tittered about their lack of exercise. Several times when she spoke to Link about her own experiences with bad weather back at her family's ranch, he would only take half of it in. More often he'd be distracted by a detail like the water from the melted hail in her hair that made it look smooth and shiny or, when she pulled her hair up, her ears and the beauty mark on the back of her neck. At this point she would often ask him for some confirmation or feedback, to which he would just nod amiably and promise himself to try to pay more attention to her words the next time.

After the horses were given mash at noon, Malon sent Link off to get them lunch. On his way back from the dining area, Link ran into Golo, who invited him to train with him in a few hours in an old sparring area that the knights did not use anymore. Returning to the stables, Link told Malon about it as they ate. She had nodded in encouragement.

"You want to be a lone warrior or something like that, right?" Malon asked. "This sounds like it'd be a good thing, I suppose."

"You wouldn't miss my help, would you?" he asked.

"Oh, I think I can manage for a while, as long as you're back before dark to help me out. I'll be fine. Just don't get in too much trouble!"

And so Link had been training with Golo for a couple hours now. Dolo stood nearby, making critical comments throughout, but otherwise doing nothing. The training stayed inside a chalk-drawn circle drawn for the sparring ring and was largely structured; it seemed like very light wrestling without any actual wrestling. At the most, Golo would reach out and give what was supposed to be a stunning slap, but it wound up pushing Link over each time. The Goron was much faster than Link thought he would be, and for the first hour he was knocked over and usually out of the ring several times. Soon however, he grew to instinctively judge the Goron's reach and movement, and managed to largely avoid the Goron's strikes. He quickly tuned out anything that Dolo said and all of his jests, and soon found the practice to be nearly verging on easy. Every now and then Golo would do something unexpected and would wind up pushing Link out of the ring with just one blow.

As evening began to fall and they ended their practice and parted, Link was sore yet excited as he hurried back to the stables. Thinking back to the night with the Stalchildren attack, he wondered if he would have responded better if he had done more types of training than just sword fighting with Purel.

After he finished helping Malon to settle the horses down for the night in the stables, it was pitch black outside, and the sound of the hail was only all the more deafening. After a young stablehand in training came to watch the horses for the night, they left and quickly got some food left over in the kitchens. After a quick farewell, Malon departed to her own sleeping quarters and Link slowly made his way back to the knights' quarters. On his way, he met Auru, who was looking at something in his hands. His expression was full of nervous anticipation as he stared at it, and he was so preoccupied that he walked next to Link for a couple minutes before noticing him.

"Oh! Hey, Link." He folded whatever it was into his hands and then put them behind his back. "How've you been these past few days?"

"Fine." Link frowned. "Didn't I tell you about it last night?"

"Oh, yeah." Auru smirked weakly. "That farm girl, Malon, was it? You said she was cute, eh?"

Feeling warm, Link looked down at the ground ahead of them. "I-I never said that."

"You didn't really have to." Auru suddenly stopped, his expression thoughtful. "Speaking of girls, I was thinking about Layrel…"

Link came to a halt. "What about her? I'm sure she's doing fine. Purel will look after her."

"Well yes, yes. But, there's the matter of the engagement jewelry." Auru looked at Link nervously, then pulled his hands out from behind his back. Opening them, he revealed what first looked like a very loose bronze and gold bracelet. Link reached out and picked it up delicately, examining it. One side of it was largely undecorated, pure bronze, while the other side was full of detailed handiwork and the gold plaiting. Inlaid in this side were three gemstones; two were simple quartz, clear with a slight pink hue, signaling good luck. In the middle was a small, imperfect, but still lovely emerald. Holding it up and looking at it, Link realized it was not a bracelet, but a fine chocker necklace.

"What do you think? Will she like it?" Auru grinned tensely.

"Yes, but…" Link handed Auru back the necklace. "Where are you getting it from? How are you affording it?"

"The merchants in the castle, they offered it to me at a cheap price because I'm helping them." Auru held the necklace up, smiling at it. "You can't tell while it's on its own like this, but it actually has a lot of flaws compared to most jewelry. So, with the money I brought with me as well as the additional work I am and will be doing for the merchants, I'll be able to afford it fine."

"I see. You know, choosing this kind of jewelry was a really good idea." Link leaned forward, his hand on his chin, imagining his sister wearing the necklace. "It won't get in her way like a long necklace or a bracelet or anklet might. And she always looked at the emeralds in the caravans…" He nodded, grinning. "It's great."

"I knew you'd say that!" Beaming, Auru happily punched him on the shoulder that Golo had struck hard during training. Link winced, gritting his teeth. Auru's face fell slightly. "What is it? You got a bruise? Don't tell me you've been fighting with Bolek!"

"No, no." They started to walk again towards the knights quarters. "It's the Gorons, and my training with Golo. He's pulling his punches, but it's still like getting a rock thrown at you."

"If it's that painful, maybe you should stop."

Link shook his head. "No, it's not really that bad. It's different than anything I've ever done, and I think I'll be able to learn a lot."

"So, what? How are you going to use this type of training at home? It's not like we need warriors or anything around there."

When Link could not come up with an answer, Auru began to talk about the merchants in the castle and the quarries of numerous stones and gems that they went to in the western mountains. He kept talking even as they reached their quarters and readied for bed. Castle curfew was shouted through the halls each night by the few servants and patrols that stayed up through the night. As they passed by, Auru went silent, but later on he kept talking.

Link shifted in the bed he was using; it was wood with no mattress, and he was accustomed to having some padding, even just of extra cloth. The hard bed was unrelenting on where Golo had hit him, and he tried to find a position that pressed against the fewest amount of sore spots.

When Auru finally quieted down again and the only noise was the distant rapping hum of the hail, he asked, "What about the storm? Did the Magicians say anything else about that?"

"Oh, you didn't hear? They said they know what the spell is. They'll be able to break it in a few days. It shouldn't do too much harm, but we should stay inside. The hail is getting bigger. They've boarded up all the windows or sealed the glass ones with magic."

Auru sighed loudly. "Though, the Magicians aren't saying who could have made the spell or anything. The merchants said they probably don't know, since the castle household is usually pretty open about everything, so they wouldn't hide it. Probably."

"Purel said the same thing, about the household not being secretive," Link said. "Besides, at least, the Princess doesn't seem like a sneaky type or anything. But…"

"But what?"

Link sat up and stretched his shoulder out a little as he answered, "If someone was trying to hurt people in the castle, wouldn't they have done a spell that would have gotten through the walls? This hail is rough, but it…" He shrugged.

Nodding, Auru said, "I see what you mean. It's such a big spell, they were saying, but it's not doing much harm. If they were trying to really cause damage, or death, they would have made it more severe. I mean, what's the point of making something this big if it's really only inconvenient in the end?"

Sitting back down, Link was frowning. The only reason he could think of for the storm was to stall someone, to keep someone inside of the castle, to stop them from leaving. He shook his head at the idea.

_I have no idea who would want that, or why. It doesn't make much sense. There were knights in the city itself, so it's not a security problem. Purel has told us about storms worse than this that the castle and the city got through. _Rolling over onto his undamaged shoulder, Link pulled his single, old quilt up and closed his eyes. _There's no way I can figure it out, and besides, it has nothing to do with me. _

Over the next three days, Link developed a schedule of helping with Malon in the stables in the morning and evening, and training with Golo during the afternoon. Dolo grew increasingly quiet with each day, looking more bored by the hour. As they practiced different styles of fighting within the chalked ring, Link found himself growing faster and more adept to Golo's attacks than he would have thought possible on the first day. They kept things basic, and it was a given that Link would not try to actually strike Golo; the one time he did so on impulse, he knew he barely avoided breaking his wrist.

Eventually, with Dolo unwillingly stepping in for demonstration, Golo started teaching Link how the smaller Gorons would use the weight of the larger Gorons against them during certain points of particular matches. Being still very lightweight, Link was not able to use the techniques well against Golo, though on the third day he did manage to make him trip over his own weight when he lunged at him. He grabbed the Gorons arm and pulled him past him, driving his weight forward, sending him stumbling out of the chalk ring.

Golo was elated at this small success, clapping Link hard on the back. Link heard a small applause and, expecting Dolo's sarcasm, turned around glumly. He froze to see Malon there, beaming. Before he knew it, she was over to them in the circle and as she neared, he realized with acute embarrassment that he was shirtless, having taken it off earlier for mobility.

"So that's what you've been doing?" Malon was grinning at them all. "From what Link was saying about this training, sounds like that was a big step, finally getting you out of the ring!"

"Hardly," Dolo said, his voice sounding almost too bored to be a drawl. "This sort of thing is the most basic technique that Gorons learn when we're children. It's hardly a great feat."

"But still, for his size, it does mean something," Golo said, nodding, still smiling triumphantly.

"D-did you want something, Malon?" Link managed to ask, wishing he could go and pull his shirt back on.

"Oh, I just wanted to tell you to come back a little early tonight. I'll need your help with this one old mare; I found a small infection on her that I didn't spot this morning. I'll want to clean it out tonight, but she's an awful kicker. I'll just need you to help steady her."

Link nodded, but out of the corner of his eye, spotted the Gorons go tense. He frowning, he noticed the echoes of someone's footsteps, walking down the hall to the small, secluded room and looked towards the entrance. Malon turned towards the door as well just as Bolek ambled into the doorway. At first his expression was sour, but it lightened quickly when he glimpsed Malon.

"What are you doing down here?" Dolo asked immediately. "Knights aren't allowed to be around here, you know that. And you never use this room, correct?"

"I'm not here to steal any of your big _secrets,_ or whatever," Bolek said, walking over beside Malon. "I'm here because the Magician's Guild wanted everyone to know immediately that the spell will be broken in just about an hour. The weather should clear afterwards, and so if anyone sees any sign of clouds or strong winds or rain or sleet or whatever, even just a bit, you've gotta let someone know about it, because it means something else is up. That's all, alright?"

"Why is that?" Malon asked.

Bolek cleared his throat and stood up straight before answering in a more polite voice, "The Magicians' Guild said that they cast another spell that will give us completely calm weather. So any sign of bad weather at all means that whatever it was that was making the storm isn't completely gone."

"All this fuss over spells." Golo shook his head. "I don't really understand. Magic is certainly strange, but it does not seem very powerful. This storm was not too great."

"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't be if I was made of rock, but most of us aren't." Bolek's tone was dismissive, but not excessively rude.

Still, Dolo walked out towards the ring, saying, "You're that knight who got his nose broken, eh? Getting your nose broken by a mere civilian, that's gotta be pretty humiliating!" He laughed lightly, but humorlessly.

Bolek shot a glare at Link, saying, "That was because this jerk took me off guard."

"Off guard? Well, that's to be expected for a knight."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

"You really punched Bolek in the nose?" Malon whispered to Link as Bolek and Dolo began to loudly bicker.

Link looked away, folding his arms. "It wasn't…my best moment." He thought of mentioning why he did it, but when Malon just looked away to listen to Bolek and Dolo, abandoned the thought of making excuses.

"You've got a lot of nerve to be that rude with your allies," Dolo was nearly spitting.

"I didn't think he was really that bad," Golo was saying, uneasily shifting on the spot in an uncertain, hesitating way that did not fit his gigantic stature. "Dolo, you're tired, just—"

Dolo rounded on him, nearly screeching, "Don't _you _tell me how I am!"

"I just think it's strange that you're oh-so-secretive about your special…" Bolek gestured wildly at the chalk circle, "wrestling match or whatever! What can you know that's such a big deal, anyways?"

Dolo grinned, showing his teeth almost as though he was threateningly baring them. "Do you want to find out? But, oh, you're so slow, you must be afraid you'll get your nose broken again—"

Before he knew what was happening, Link found himself and Golo being shoved out of the ring by Dolo. Malon stepped back with them as Bolek quickly took off his helmet and some of his armor, while Dolo snickered, stretching his neck with a gravelly cracking noise.

"You might want those scraps of metal to protect you, boy."

"I don't need it. I've never lost a real fight in my life!"

"You did get your nose scrambled."

"That wasn't a fight! That idiot" he jerked a hand out towards Link, "just went crazy all a sudden! And I would've had him flat and done the same to him in no time if—"

"Yeah yeah, all talk." Dolo was still grinning, his arms were already raised eagerly, ready.

As Bolek stepped in the ring, Link looked over towards Malon, "Maybe you should leave?"

"What are you saying, fairy boy?" She wildly shook her head, her expression excited and vibrant. "I love wrestling!"

There was a pause as both Bolek and Dolo froze in the circle, squaring each other up. Bolek lunged first, and the fight started.

It was over before someone would have had time to toss a coin in the air to place a bet and catch it. Bolek, who was clearly still used to shoving his weight and height around to win fights, was on his back outside of the ring with one hit, all the wind knocked out of him. Yet when Dolo kept laughing and with Malon excitedly screaming at him to get back up and fight, he grunted and slowly rose back up. Still stunned from the blow, he almost blindly ambled back into the ring. He attacked, and Dolo easily got knocked him away. This time however, he had enough sense to not take a breath and to be winded by the blow. Managing to get back up quickly, he returned to the ring.

The cycle repeated itself several times until Dolo hit Bolek on the shoulder with full force instead of just pushing him away in the gut. Letting out a strangled shout of pain, he went flying, almost right into the wall. Before either of the fighters could move or speak, Malon whistled loudly, piercingly, using two of her fingers.

"Dolo wins!" she exclaimed, waving towards the Goron, who smirked broadly, casually stretching his neck and arms. Immediately Malon hurried over to Bolek, her expression was concerned as she knelt next to him, slowly helping him sit up. Link followed, but kept distance, with Golo behind him, both watching. Each time Bolek tried to move the shoulder that had been hit, he winced and let out a sharp hiss of pain.

"What's wrong with it?" Malon's face was pale, and she looked up at Link and Golo. "I don't think it's broken…"

"No, I didn't hit him that hard," Dolo said, still stretching in place.

Squatting down, Link said, "I think it might be dislocated." After watching for another moment as they tried to move it, he nodded. "Looks like that's the case."

"What does that mean, dislocated?" Golo asked as Bolek slowly rose to his feet, trying to wave away Malon's steadying hands from his arm and back.

"Means that I popped him just a little too hard," Dolo answered, finally walking over. Neither his voice nor expression looked concerned, and his sigh was casual, free of any sign of worry. "It wasn't a bad fight, boy, but you're made of meat, after all."

"Dislocated…I don't know how to fix this," Malon said.

Bolek shoved her away and stepped back from everyone, red in embarrassment and in pain as he snapped, "Well, it's fine! I get it, I lost. I don't need anyone's help, I can take care of it myself!"

"Have you ever had a dislocated shoulder before?" Malon was asking Link.

He looked at Bolek and nodded slowly. "Yes, I have."

"Humph! You musta cried real hard then, you couldn't have handled this," Bolek managed to shoot out, his voice sounding tight with the pain.

"Actually it was three summers ago when we got into that fight during May Day, and you knocked me against the pole stone," Link said, his voice deadpan, trying to resist any feelings of anger at the memory.

Bolek frowned. "How did you get over it? Did you fix it? Who fixed you up?"

"No one helped me. I knew you were probably going to pick a fight again, and I didn't want to have it hindering me—"

"Well, what did you do?" Bolek snapped impatiently.

"I ran against another rock and bumped it back into place."

Malon was staring at him, aghast. "You could have hurt yourself! I mean, even worse!"

"Uh, I guess so." Link scratched the back of his head. "I guess it wasn't exactly the brightest idea."

Malon shook her head, an incredulous smile on her face. "You're something else, fairy boy."

At first, Bolek insisted on trying the same thing with the walls in the room. When Malon insisted otherwise and offered to accompany him to the medical ward, he reluctantly agreed. As they left the room, he looked back at Link and the Gorons.

"No one hears about this, okay?" he snapped, giving his most pointed glare at Link.

Golo was nodding, but Dolo just snorted, saying, "You're not in a position to insist anything, now are you? But, you weren't supposed to be here in the first place. So let's all forget about this and not mention it." He looked at Golo pointedly. "We won't mention it to _anyone_, alright?"

His face falling, Golo reluctantly murmured agreement.

A few minutes later, they resumed training for a while, but Golo was clearly preoccupied with what had occurred and moved very slowly, with no force at all behind his punches. Link did not comment on his lack of enthusiasm; in fact, he himself was also inattentive, wondering exactly why Golo listened to Dolo so much despite being so much larger and heavier. He remembered Purel explaining how personality, more than skill or size, would often determine who was dominant in a chain of command. As he tried to analyze the two Goron's personalities a little, he nearly tripped over his own feet, stumbling out of the circle. The thoughts buzzing in his mind drowning out Dolo's usual sarcastic remark, he stepped back into the ring and tried to focus on the small, underwhelming fight.

Falling onto his bed that night, Link hardly bothered to even take off his shoes, his body aching and exhausted. Auru was there, putting the necklace for Layrel in a small leather pouch and storing it under his pillow. After moment, Link reached underneath his own pillow and pulled out his green, pointed hat. Finding the tear in it, he recalled how it had gotten torn by the Stalchildren. He had promised himself that he would fix it a while ago, and yet here it was, nearly forgotten.

Ignoring how tired he was, he sat up and put the hat down on his quilt, reaching over to his supplies packed together at the end of his bed. He rummaged through them until he found a needle and thread that Layrel had packed for him and began to sew his hat back together. The tear was big, but it was largely clean, and he did not need any patching done.

"Didn't Layrel get that for you?" Auru asked, watching as Link worked.

Link shook his head. "You did."

"Oh…that's right." Auru sighed and lay down, still watching. "Layrel helped me choose it though. Seems like such a long time ago! It was just a year ago though, last Eventide."

Smiling at the memory, Link said, "I was surprised you had got me anything."

"Well, you got me something. It's a good thing I already had something to return the favor with."

Frowning as he tightened what he had sewn, he said, "You were always so busy reading when you weren't working."

"Really? I wasn't really all that busy, actually. I mean, I had time enough for Layrel and everything. You could have talked to me any time."

Keeping his gaze focused on his hat and away from his friend, Link just shrugged, unsure what to say.

Auru sighed and sat up, saying, "I wish Bolek could come back to the village."

"Why's that?"

"He doesn't seem to fit in here, does he? Maybe he likes it a lot, I don't know. I haven't had a chance to talk with him much. But still, it's no secret he's pretty much all alone here."

Pausing in his work, Link asked, "Did you hear about his shoulder?"

With a groan, Auru put his face in his hands. "Yes, though I practically had to pry it out of him! Were you two fighting again? He wouldn't tell me what happened!"

"He was fighting someone else, Dolo, that Goron. But, he wasn't supposed to, so keep it a secret, would you?"

"Of course. Ugh, that idiot, those Gorons are made of rock! I mean, he was annoyed when he heard they were teaching you, but—"

"How did he hear about that?" Link tightened the sewing again; the tear was almost mended.

"Uh…" Auru looked back down at his bed. "See, I didn't know it was a secret, so I might have mentioned it. But he hasn't told anyone else!"

Keeping his mouth shut and keeping a sigh down, Link just nodded.

Auru had turned around, sitting his legs crossed, facing Link. "This might be a bad time to ask, but…" He waited for Link to look at him, but when he kept sewing, he went on, "After this trip, and all that's happened, what do you think? About Layrel and I, I mean."

Finished, Link pulled the thread tight, closing the tear, and tied the thin thread into a small knot. Although he knew Auru was waiting, he thought of the thread and needle in his hands, and how Layrel had the forethought to pack them for him. She had also taken excellent care of their house and family, both pathetically small compared to most. As he finished the knot with the thread, a part of him wondered what would happen to him without her. Grabbing the small, old clipper to cut the thread, feeling Auru watching him, he remembered the night before they left. He remembered Layrel's expression, her voice and sincerity.

The image of her through the years began to float before his mind. Sighing, he put the clippers down and leaned his head on his hand, letting the memories wash over his mind. He pointlessly turned his hat over in his free hand, clenching it tight when he remembered the time that he and Layrel had almost been eaten by wolves. Then he smiled and released the hat as each peaceful or fun day they spent together floated past, followed by his last glimpse of her as they left the village. She had been excited, her expression and eyes alight, but her forehead was creased, touched with concern. Her hand waving farewell to them had the calluses of her many years of working to keep them both alive.

"Link?" Auru asked hesitantly.

He glanced over, realizing he was still kneading his brow with his hand.

Auru looked worried, unsure, but he slowly asked, "If how much time I spend reading is really bothering you, I promise I can cut back on that."

Shaking his head, Link smiled and sat up straight, his hands working on folding up his hat. "No, I think Layrel likes that side of you. She's always talking about how smart you look when you spend all that time studying."

"So, it is too much time?"

"No, I…" He rubbed the back of his head, then said, "No, I don't have a problem with you and Layrel." He cleared his throat. "I think you'll be fine together."

"Oh, good. Bolek didn't scare you off, either?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "If he says anything bad at the wedding, is it alright if we…" He made a throwing gesture, grinning.

Auru laughed a little too loudly, looking relieved. "Yes, that's not a bad option to keep open, just in case. But he has to come. He is my brother, and…I just want to rub it in his face a little that I'm marrying first. And, maybe he'll be different by then."

Link pulled his hat. "You don't give up on him, do you?"

"He's not a bad guy, he's just…"

"After what he said about Layrel, I don't know about that," said Link flatly as he pulled the quilt up and over him.

"He apologized for that."

Link's mouth fell open as he stared at Auru, who nodded.

"You're kidding. He never apologizes for anything. Does he?"

"He did!" Auru nodded again. "I mean, he didn't exactly take back everything, but he admitted he went a little far. He said he was just surprised by the news."

Link opened his mouth, but shut it before he could say anything. Instead he lay down and only after he had settled into a comfortable position did he say, "I just don't know."

"I don't blame you." Auru stood up on his bed and blew out all but one of the candles hanging in the open ceiling lantern right above them. "He was always a bit of a bully."

Laughing, Link said, "I guess so, though I have almost died thanks to him. Like the time where he got me lost in the woods for a week."

"He apologized for that, too!" exclaimed Auru, getting back into his bed.

"Yes, and then he…" Link shook his head. "He was always bothering us."

"True. Remember when he followed us when we went hunting for fairies after you saw one when you were a kid? We almost got eaten by those boars because he ran ahead of us and bothered them!"

"The wolves are nothing compared to those boars."

"I agree." Auru shuddered. "I still just hate them. Pigs, too."

"Especially after you got sick on that pork."

"What? You remember that? That was horrible!"

Despite weariness and the darkness, they stayed up talking well into the night about old times. As they relived the only Link pulled a prank on Bolek they laughed so loudly that a knight came to their door, demanding quiet. Still they kept talking and only an hour later when Quin came and threatened them did they finally stop reminiscing and settle down quietly. Auru fell asleep first and as Link felt himself drifting away, he noted in his mind that his friend hardly snored at all.

_Another reason why he's good for Layrel. She'll never have problems sleeping through the night. _

Smiling to himself, he curled up in the blankets, and as he closed his eyes, the soft noise of a whispering, whistling, moaning wind lulled him into sleep.


	10. Chapter 1 Part 9

_"Come on, Link!"_

Auru was gesturing for Link to follow him onto the large, frozen pond that sprawled across their path. The pale winter sun peeped out behind grey clouds, casting the frozen woods and the two boys in a clear, cold light.

Walking uneasily out onto the ice, Link tried to stay on the patches of snow to give him some traction. Looking up at Auru's smiling, freckled face, he said, "I don't know if going this far is a good idea."

"Oh come on. If we keep going, we're sure to find a fairy fountain. Don't you want to see a fairy again? I read all that Purel has about fairies, but I'm sure that it's nothing to actually seeing it!"

"I guess—"

Link froze, hearing a loud cracking noise. The ice beneath his feet seemed to move on its own. He and Auru both looked down. The ice underneath his feet was riddled with small, spreading cracks.

Desperately he looked back up, but did not move, his seven year old body paralyzed. He had never even been on any frozen body of water before. After all, Zora's River never froze over fully, and his association with ice was limited to puddles and the floes that came down from the waterfalls in late winter.

Now he looked up at Auru, and his friend's three years of seniority was suddenly very important. They were usually equals when it came to their boyhood friendship; their time was just spent playing, hunting, and studying, each seeing the other as equal competition. But now, Link resisted panic and looked desperately to Auru. Last year, he had been gutsy enough to cross the river one morning when it was half-way frozen. The entire village had watched, shouting at him, anxious as he almost slipped or fell to his death several times, yet managed to reach the other shore safely.

Yet at the moment Auru only stared, his young brain trying to figure a way out of the situation. Link tried to step away from the cracks, but the moment he shifted his weight the ice rumbled. It moved again, sliding apart, almost pitching him off-balance.

"D-don't move," Auru said, his voice low, shaking. His face was pale with a fear that was perhaps greater than Link's, but his movements were steady as he slowly eased out towards his young friend. Slowly he pulled out a rope.

Beneath Link the ice cracked again, shifting, sinking; he could see flowing water underneath the ice and snow. Looking down, he held his breath, not daring to even blink.

Before he looked back up, Auru had thrown a lasso around him. Tightening it hastily, Auru yanked Link forward off his feet, both of them falling back on the cold, solid ice. Link hastily scuttled away onto the solid ground, pulling Auru along, even though they were safe.

Auru was grinning, laughing in relief as he got up, saying, "See! We're fine!"

Link gulped. "When we go back, let's go back a different way."

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, good idea. But we've still got a lot of time. Let's keep going!"

Link only nodded, and followed Auru. Their bodies were still trembling with fear and the thrill of escaping danger, but they continued on with little stumbling and no stopping.

They spent the rest of the day going deeper into the dark, cold winter woods. Once they reached a small clearing dusted with snow. There were several large rocks and wide frozen puddles of water. Around here they searched, lifting up the cold rocks together with their red, freezing hands. There were no signs of any hidden holes that fairies would live in. They did find a snake hole around noon, and Link managed to flush the snake out and kill it. Hurriedly they cooked it for lunch, and despite Auru's complaints he ate it readily. Link was not at all finicky, while Auru was always the first to complain about anything strange, new or something that was just not his favorite; however he still had enough sense to eat whatever came his way.

As they finally began to head home in the twilight winter woods, Link shivered underneath his small cloak that was wrapped around his shoulders and arms. It had been a long winter, and with a younger sister and two elderly parents, he had often eaten less. When it came to eating the midwinter feast, Link was known by the other children as the runt who was easy to steal from, though this was mainly done by Bolek, who was incredible at hogging food. Link never complained to any of the adults, though he always put up a fruitless fight.

As they walked back in the darkening woods, Auru stopped and pulled out something from his small bag on his back. Link gasped to see the old village lantern, lit as always.

"How did it not get your pack all hot? Or burnt?" he asked, standing close to Auru, looking in awe at the lantern. He had never seen it this close before.

"It's not hot. It's definitely magic!" Auru put his hand right on the glass of the lantern. "See? It's fine."

Link slowly reached out and touched the lantern gingerly with his fingertips. The glass was slightly warm, but was certainly not at all hot. He drew his hand back readily, unsure what to think of this mysterious thing.

Auru, talkative as always, held the lantern aloft as they continued and chattered about all the magic he had ever read about. Link listened, once again feeling guilty for not keeping up with his reading. He was literate, but was not nearly as good as Auru. Bolek was not exactly studious, but he kept ahead of Link by a little out of what seemed to be sheer spite.

They kept walking, and the woods were silent, extremely peaceful. There were a few snowflakes falling, but that was the only sign of movement. Auru's voice was the only noise, other than the frozen ground and the snow crunching beneath their feet.  
With a jolt, Link stopped. He realized he remembered all of this, the woods, the walk, the near-accident with the pond. All of this had happened before.

This was a dream.

And they were approaching a steep ravine. Auru was still walking, not noticing where he was going. Link gave a warning shout, reaching out to grab him.

It was too late. He slipped, stepping and falling right down the ravine. The last sound was the sound of his startled cry.

Link woke up with a jolt, sitting up in bed. Immediately the cold air snapped at him, and he pulled his blanket up close to his chin. He was in his quarters in the castle that the knights were letting him use; the small stone room was lit dimly by the single candle above him, hanging from the ceiling.

He became aware of a groaning noise, both above him and beside him.

Looking around, he saw Auru sitting up in his own wooden bed. He was facing away, his head down in his hands, leaning over as if he was in pain.

Link turned in his bed, aware again of the faint, powerful groaning above their heads as he faintly called, "Are you sick?"

Auru jumped, looking around. His eyes were wide and tired, yet there was no fog of sleep in them. In his hands was the leather pouch that had the engagement necklace inside. He quickly put it into his pocket.

"Link, you're awake." He sighed. "Did I wake you? Sorry."

Shaking his head, Link asked again, "Are you sick?"

"No, I…" He ran his hand down the side of his face wearily. "It was a dream. Actually, I…" He turned around in bed, facing him. "It's nothing."

Link frowned, and hesitated before asking, "You aren't sick? Was it the dream?"

Auru shook his head again. "No, not really. It's nothing."

Link gulped, noticing just how pale his friend looked. "Was it an unlucky dream? Purel always said you need to talk about those or it'll−"

"Yeah, yeah." Auru ran his hand over his mouth. "Alright. It was strange." He shook his head. "I've had this kind of dream before. But it was different this time. I don't know why or how, but this was just strange. I…" He cleared his throat before continuing, "In the dream, well, it's dark all around. But then there are these stars above me, and there are these voices too, and the more I answer them, this line appears of light, like the sun on the field, and the more I talk the lighter it gets. But the voices, I didn't understand them before. But I could this time, I could."

Auru did not say anything else. Link sucked in his breath, unsure what to do. Suddenly, the moaning from above became louder, and he realized it was the wind.

Frowning, he looked up at the ceiling. "Wasn't the weather supposed to be clear after the Magician's cast that storm away?"

"You're right." Auru slowly stood up, also looking at the ceiling. "Maybe we should do something, or tell someone, or something."

Link, who was still fully dressed in his day clothes, hurriedly tugged on his boots and pulled on his hat. Auru was pulling on his normal shirts when they heard the distinct sound of glass crashing. They both froze at the sound. Link dashed over and grabbed his sword, forgetting his shield. Hurried over and opened the door, not bothering to look out before walking right into the hallway. Out of habit, he closed the door behind him, though Auru was still getting ready to follow him, pulling on his last day shirt.

The halls were empty, dark save for the torches on the walls. Now the only sounds were the faint noises of the knights in the other rooms, some snoring loudly, others waking up, muttering and talking to each other. Yet no one was coming out into the hall, and the moaning noise grew louder with each passing moment.

Auru stepped out of the room and walked beside him as they silently headed towards the stairs that led up to the first level of the castle. The first window they reached showed that it was still night outside. All the clouds were indeed gone, but the wind was strong, blowing the snow and ice shards all around in the moonlight. The moon itself was not visible from where they were, facing the south. They hurried through the castle, dark save for the lanterns and torches lighting the way, and when they came to a window facing the west, Link looked to see the moon was nearing the black mountains.

"The sun is bound to rise in just a few hours," Auru whispered as they went along.

They turned a corner and faced the dark silhouette of a fat, muscular man about Link's height. Coming to an immediate halt, they both stared. The man did not move or speak. Link tensed, ready to draw his sword, but noticed the top of the man's head was pointed and his arms were inhumanly long.

"Dolo?" Auru asked, also recognizing the tell-tale signs of the Goron.

Starting a little, he turned around and walked into the moonlight from the single, large window in that short hallway. Dolo was rubbing his eyes, which looked tired and yet not drowsy.

"What are you two doing up?" Dolo asked, his voice sounding unusually mellow.

"We heard the wind and it sounded like someone had broken a window," Auru answered readily. "You haven't seen anything like that, have you?"

Dolo shrugged. "No. Maybe you dreamed it. Hylians dream, right?"

"It wasn't a dream, we both heard it," Link answered.

"Gorons don't dream?" Auru asked, looking curious and intrigued, almost all of the weariness gone from his voice and face.

"Usually not." Dolo frowned deeply. "Though, I had one that woke me up this morning. There were these voices, and fire everywhere when I talked to them−"

The window between them was cast by a great shadow, nearly blotting out all light. Link instinctively drew his sword, jumping back, Auru and Dolo both backing away slowly, staring. At the window, peering in, was what looked like a short man, covered in long black cloaks, even over his head. In place of his mouth and nose was an ivory beak, which also spread up and masked around his eyes and forehead, reminding Link of Purel's books on masked Plague Doctors from the distant southern lands.

One look at the eyes and Link realized that this was no man, but a monster: the eyes were luminous, like a cat's in the light, except they had no pupils and were instead just pure, glaring red.

Dolo was swearing under his breath and Auru had grabbed onto Link's arm, his hands shaking, and he was muttering, "It's a monster, what's it doing here? A monster, here…"

Its beak opened and it let out a barking shriek. It rushed past them, filling their ears, echoing off and down the dark halls. Link readied himself, expecting the creature to break the window and attack. However, it jumped back and away from them, disappearing into thin air.

Down the hall was the sound of windows shattering, glass falling onto the ground. There was the rough sound of heavy stomping, clattering of steel on stone, and the sound of many voices. Dolo began to hurry down the hallway, away from where they had come, ignoring Link shouting after him.

"Should we follow him?" Auru put out the question even as they began to run.

"At least until the knights come out," Link said, keeping his gaze open and around all.

As they caught up with Dolo, they were hurrying into a large front hall. They could hear the sound of scuffling and fighting ahead, knights shouting and unearthly, inhuman barks and growling. They stopped, pausing to listen, Dolo slowly backing away. The corner ahead was empty save for the noise.

The sound of the knights died. One was thrown into their hallway, hitting against the wall. Blood smeared down as he fell to the ground, not moving.

Monsters came around the corner, stomping, hurrying noisily in the dark, clubs in their hands.

They were Bokoblins, all a little taller than Link. Their rough, dark red skin looked pale in the darkness. They had wide mouths with sharp teeth, short pug-like noses and deep, small round yellow eyes that reflected the moonlight. They were bald, and had crude helmets, some made of animal skulls, pulled over their bare, flat heads and their wrinkly ears looked like shriveled lettuce. They had shrunken chests, with small pot bellies and thin, though still muscular limbs. They had no shirts, but belts and short pants that were so ancient they looked like garbage. Their large feet had old leather wrapped around them, and their enormous, thin hands bore crude clubs, some of which had uneven spikes. Some of these clubs were dripping with blood.

Grunting and barking at each other, they were loping into the hall, easily ten in number. One, bigger and less unhealthy and sallow-looking than the others, gave a low cry, pointing at them. Immediately the others also shouted out, as if in response, and the sound sent chills down Link's spine. They rushed towards them, their clubs raised.

Dolo immediately curled up and rolled away quickly, leaving the floor torn and ruined. Link and Auru ran after him, hurrying as fast as they could over the strewn, uneven stone. Out of the corner of his eye, Link could tell the monsters were gaining. Looking back, he saw that only one was at hand; the Bokoblins all seemed to be running at different speeds. Some were limping, while others were bearing their heavy weapons with difficultly.

"Auru, keep going!" Link turned around, facing the first Bokoblin. It raised its club and he immediately lunged out, piercing its unprotected side. The monster began to collapse to the side, but he hit it in the side of its chest with the flat of his blade, sending it flying back onto the Bokoblin running up from behind. Startled, it fell to the ground, upon which Link rushed forward and stuck his sword down, slicing through its neck.

He looked up and lifted his sword just in time as the next Bokoblin brought his club down. The heavy weapon made his blade nearly quaver and his wrist hurt with the weight and direct shock of the blow. The Bokoblin drew back with an effort, and Link stumbled backwards, making ground between them, his hand and arm stunned, throbbing.

The Bokoblin lunged again, literally jumping at him, bringing its club in a full arc over its head, thrusting all of its weight into the movement. Instinctively Link rolled to the side and the Bokoblin's club collided with the ground and the monster lost its balance. Link quickly thrust his sword into its side, neatly between its ribs, visible underneath its sick, stretched skin. It collapsed, and two more monsters lunged forth in its place. Link stood up, ready, watching their movements.

There was a loud cracking sound behind him. The Bokoblins halted for a moment, giving Link enough time to turn and run again. The cracking sound came again, down the hallways. He could hear someone shouting, maybe screaming. He ran towards the sound, a sick, cold feeling creeping upon him, though he did not stop. He came to a stairwell, and the rivets that Dolo had mad in the floor vanished.

There was an unmistakable cry of pain, echoing down the stairs towards him. Tightening his grip on his sword's hilt, he raced up the stairs two at a time and turned the corner.

He ran right into a stone wall, bouncing off. Rubbing his jaw, he looked up to see he had not run into a wall, but a Goron. It was Durmuni.

Without a word, Durmuni looked Link over quickly, his eyes lingering on his sword, and then began to hurry away down the hall towards where the cracking sound was still coming. There were no more screams or shouts. Link followed him; they passed a ravaged body of a solitary knight, whom Link did not recognize. All the windows they passed were shattered, and they ran right over a few dead Bokoblins who looked as though they had been ground to into the floor and crushed.

They came to the end of the hall, a circular, open, pure stone area. There were long, thick banners hanging down between numerous tall windows, all smashed open, letting in a cold wind. Outside amongst the dark were close, flickering lights and movements. The sound of battle, steel, shouts, grunts and barks, came from the darkness, along with the torches of the knights.

"They're all outside."

Link and Durmuni turned to see, uncurling from the shadows behind one of the long banners, Dolo. He did not step out into the light. "They're in the castle courtyard, but they're running−"

"Why are you cowering back there?!" Durmuni's voice was louder than Link had ever heard it; its loud angry, exhilarated tone seemed to fill all the air. "Let us aid them this instant!"

"You don't get it." Dolo shook his head; his voice sounded pitifully small and feeble. "There's something weird about this. That Wizzrobe, it paralyzed me. It was trying to capture me! Why would it do that?!"

Link looked around the dark room, then asked, "Where's Auru? Did he catch up to you?"

"Yes, yes! I stopped and let him catch up to me. I knew he would be in trouble on his own. We ran up here and I−"

"Enough with your yammering!" Durmini snapped. "Where is the man now?"

"The monsters…" Dolo shuddered, then pointed at the window nearest him. "They broke his arm when he fought, and took him with them."

Link stared at Dolo, who did not say any more, but just looked down at the floor. Sheathing his sword, he turned and ran towards the window. It was just out of his reach, so he ran straight towards the wall and jumped onto and off of the wall, pushing off and propelling himself just high enough to grab onto the ledge. He used the momentum to swing his body up, ignoring the remaining shards of glass.

Severe winds buffeted him, almost sending him flying; he leaned down, clinging to the sill. When there was a second's break in the wind's currents, he jumped off the sill, rolling in the snow to soften the impact, and smoothly coming to stand on his feet.

The courtyard was largely deserted, but crowded with the signs of battle: glass, broken armor and weapons, general garbage and blood were strewn about. There were no bodies of knights, though several monsters lay dead.

The knights were at the gate, the large southern gate, chasing the rest of the monsters out into the castle grounds. Link dashed after them and kept away from the knights, who were bunched together at the end of the drawbridge and sidled along the gate wall in the dark. The minute he was out above the frozen moat, on the drawbridge, he jumped away from the knights and onto the ice, hurrying on the snowy patches and into the field, following one of the paths that a Bokoblin made through the high snow.

Eventually he reached a snow-covered fence and stood upon it. The wind had settled, so he easily crouched down on the fence, quickly looking around all the castle grounds.

The knights were still crowded by the gate and the drawbridge. They made a racket, but did not move to chase the monsters. All of the Bokoblins were either slain by the gate or were running away in the grounds. Strangely, they did not head towards the gate of the city, but instead made for the tall hill in the middle of the grounds. Squinting, Link could see a cold shaft of light on the hill's summit, like a small, tall, pale fire that did not flicker or dance. Two short, dark shapes flanked the light.

He stepped off of the fence and hurried cautiously towards the light, keeping low. Eventually he branched off from the paths left by the Bokoblins and headed a different way towards the middle hill, giving the monsters a fair berth, staying out of their sight. As he neared the light, he saw beaks on the two dark figures standing by it. Within a stone throw of the hill, he saw red eyes shining out from the figures and realized they were the same monsters as the one in the window.

Now he was as close to the light as the Bokoblins, at the foot of the hill. Hurrying along in the dark at a distance, he watched the monsters. The moon was closer to setting, but it still shone down freely, clearly, and he could easily make out their figures, heights and shapes. Their clubs and strange hats sometimes distorted their appearance in the dark, making them look more frightening and larger than they actually were, but he could always tell they were monsters and not men.

Then, he spotted a different shape, slung like a bag over the shoulder of the largest Bokoblin. Link squinted at it, but could not make it out. Running ahead up onto the hill, he hid behind a thick, frosted evergreen tree and watched. The monsters drew closer, and the first began to pass him. They ran right up the hill and into the light between the two beak-monsters, upon which they disappeared. He now realized that the light was an geometric, sharp shape, much like a doorway or open gate.

The large Bokoblin was about to pass him. Link craned his neck, peeking out, risking being seen. Over his shoulder was slung the shape of a man. Leaning forward, he saw in the light the man's simple, layered clothing, his pale skin, the dark brown hair; it was Auru. Holding his sword out, he took a breath, readying himself to lunge out.

There was a barking noise, and the monsters suddenly stopped, looking around dumbly. Link was about to rush out regardless, when the wind suddenly began to blow at his back, flicking snow and ice at him. The moonlight that had been shining on the snow near him was suddenly gone; all the ground was swallowed by shadow.

Behind him was a faint fluttering noise, and he immediately turned and rolled away just as a beak-monster lunged at him out of the dark, its talon-like hands aloft. The Bokoblins had begun to hurry away again towards the light, some of them growling loudly or barking at him as they passed. Twisting around, Link saw the one with Auru.

"_Auru!_"

Only silence.

Link sprinted after him. Three, twirling fireballs flew at him, blocking his path. Skidding to a halt, he jumped back, out of their reach.

The beak-monster had a long, thin, crooked wand in one of its hands, and was waving it, with dark, ugly trails of thin smoke issuing from its end. Floating above on the shadows in the air, it swooped in and out of reach on the wind. Link tried to run after the Bokoblin again, but the beak-monster conjured another fireball which narrowly missed him, singeing some of his hair and clothes. He tried to rush at the beak-monster, reaching with his sword, but it danced up into the air, again out of his reach.

Frantically, he spun around to see the Bokoblin and Auru almost at the gate of light. Turning back to the beak-monster, he dodged another fireball, and then held his sword up. Flipping the grip around in his hand, he held it like a spear, throwing it at the monster. It pierced right through its chest, and with a crow-like screech, the light in its eyes went out. The sword threw flew it and it was torn apart, the shadows of its garments being thrown about in the wind and vanishing.

The earth was shaking, but Link hardly noticed as he hastily retrieved his sword and raced back towards the gate of light. The Bokoblin and Auru disappeared into it. The other beak-monster had vanished, and the Bokoblins were pouring into the gate, almost all of them gone. Some tried to clumsily swipe at or throw their clubs at him. He dodged them and just kept running, pushing through the heavy snow, focusing on the gate of light solely even as the earth began to shake more ferociously. The Bokoblins behind him were screaming.

There was the cracking and snapping noise of bones being broken, and Link finally looked over his shoulder to see a Goron rolled up, plowing over the Bokoblins like a singular landslide. The Goron was so enormous Link knew it must be Durmuni.

The gate's light had begun to flicker and fade. Link pushed himself onwards, forcing his legs through the snow faster than before, ignoring their flaming ache and his lungs burning with the effort.

There was a shrill, feminine scream and Link stopped. Looking around, he spotted a Bokoblin that had stopped, and was pulling something from the snow, a gloating look on its face. In its gigantic, gaunt hand, shivering and shaking erratically but not breaking free, was the teal fairy.

Only looking once at the ever-dimming gate, Link changed course and ran towards the Bokoblin and the fairy. The monster spotted him and barked, growling, but lacking its club it turned and tried to hurry past him towards the gate. Link rushed it halfway and, after dodging an ill-aimed punch, cut its head off.

The fairy flew out of its hand, but Link had already turned and made for the gate.

With one last sharp beam of light that made him cringe and cover his eyes, the gate flickered once and disappeared.

Still he ran up to where it had been, and stood on the summit of the hill. He circled it, looking around wildly, waiting for the light to return. There were still a few Bokoblins, but Durmuni was still rolling, crushing them, chasing them. Link paced around the summit, his sword dangling numbly in his hand. Finally stopping, his breath still wildly, dangerously fast, he looked around the grounds. The moonlight now revealed all, but there were no other lights, no more beak-monsters, and all the Bokoblins now lay dead.

There was no sign of Auru.

Link looked down at the snow and ice around him. It was torn up mostly by the marks of the Bokoblin's footprints, though on the other side of the hill, the side of the gate that none had entered, it was clean snow. Link wandered over, helplessly searching every detail.

Admist all the white, something brown stood out. Immediately he let his sword go and squatted down, picking it up. He dusted the snow off of it, and lifted it up into the moonlight, out of his shadow. It was Auru's leather pouch, and opening it, he found that the engagement necklace was still inside, safe and unharmed.

He heard Durmuni walk up behind him, casting him in shadow, saying, "Those Wizzrobes made a portal for the monsters to escape through. Cowardly, but effective." He walked over, looking down at the pouch and necklace. "These things, did they belong to your brother?"

Link sucked in his breath and nodded as he slipped the necklace back inside the pouch.

"Strange." Durmuni shook his head. "Bokoblins and Wizzrobes normally avoid each other. For them to work together, apparently just to kidnap one Hylian−"

"Why?" Link barely managed to whisper. His lips suddenly felt very chapped, thick, hard to use and speak through. His throat had gone tight, and as he forced himself to stand up, he was not sure if he could speak again.

"I do not know, and I doubt anyone could tell." Durmuni snorted, as if in frustration, though he stroked thoughtfully at his stone beard. "Perhaps one of those so-called diviners or soothsayers might be able to say, but I doubt that much. Perhaps the King or the Princess could say. They know more about monsters in this area than I do."

Link shook himself, and forced another nod. Still unable to speak, he tied the pouch onto his belt and picked his sword up, sheathing it silently. Turning, he walked back towards the castle. Durmuni followed without a word, though every now and then he would curl up and roll away across the grounds. Link supposed he was searching for signs of any more monsters. Each time he kept coming back to join Link, and they entered the castle together.

Before he passed through the gate, Link looked back once at the hill. He thought of the fairy, but he did not see any sign of her. Easily letting the thought of her go, he turned away.

Zelda suppressed an irritated sigh as Impa stepped into her study.

That morning she had been awoken early, hours before moonset, by the battle, and had fluttered down the stairs to assess the situation. Apparently, very few knights had died or been hurt, and the monsters had not stolen anything. Still, they caused a lot of damage to the castle, and Zelda was in charge of its upkeep and managing the household. The King took counsel with the knights and went out for a survey of the grounds as she hurried about, setting servants on different tasks, calling in different craftsmen to do different repairs, etc. She knew that many of the repairs had to be done immediately, before the winter chill made working too difficult and made the open, broken windows unbearable.

After everything was finished and she had finally had supper, she retired to her study, telling Impa to leave her be unless if it was something important. Now that she entered, Zelda said a morose farewell to a period of rest.

"What is it now, Impa?" she asked, rising from her seat.

"Excuse the intrusion, but there's a boy here who insists upon seeing you," Impa said, gesturing at the doors.

"Who is it? What does he want?"

"It's that civilian that saved the fairy. I did not ask him for any details, but he seems very distressed. The knights say he helped fight the monsters, and even helped chase them out into the field."

Zelda frowned. "So, what? Does he want a medal?"

"Zelda." Impa frowned at her.

Sighing, she sat back down heavily. "I know, I know. I need to hear him."

"Besides, Princess, if he wanted something like that, I don't think he would have been waiting silently for so long. He asked an audience with you early this morning, but he did not complain when I told him to wait. I saw him helping with cleaning during the day. And as I said, he looks distressed. I highly doubt he wants any sort of profit."

"Yes, yes. You are right." Zelda arose from her seat, not feeling very princess-like as she ambled to the door, her legs and feet aching sorely in her good heels. She had worn high-quality clothing that day, not to show off, but rather to boost morale. Firstly it was for herself, as she knew that dressing better than you feel lifted her spirits. This in turn allowed her to behave better and pay more attention to directing others in the most bearable fashion. And with the castle in disrepair, seeing something fine would bring back the reality of the good state of the castle as it was just a day ago, and that it could certainly be restored.

Still, wearing her nice, tight dressy shoes instead of her boots or flats was taking its toll, and she fought wincing with discomfort with every step she took.

Impa opened the door. Standing with his back to the far wall was the boy. He still had his sword, sheathed at his hip, and a pointed green hat was pulled carelessly over his dark, blonde-brown hair. When the door opened, he looked up from the ground and directly at her.

She paused. She had not realized before just how sharp his eyes were. They were a light blue shade that was not at all pale or washed out, but instead vivid; she had only ever seen that hue on animals such as wolves.

Yet perhaps his eyes just stood out because of how pale he looked, and the red around his eyes, signaling weariness that comes from more than a lack of sleep. He stood up straight when she came out, but he still seemed to be stooping or slumping, as if there was an unseen weight upon his back.

"How can I help you?" Zelda tried to smile, but could not quite manage it. "What was your name again?"

He cleared his throat roughly, saying, "Link, Princess. I…see, my friend, Auru, he was taken by the monsters."

"He was killed?"

"No, they took him. Through the gate of light. I don't know why."

Zelda looked at him uncertainly. "Are you sure? That seems highly unlikely. Is there anyone else who would confirm this?"

"I could do that."

They all turned to see Durmuni walking down the hallway, followed by the shortest of the Gorons traveling with him. Durmuni looked grave and serious as always, but the short Goron had a peculiar expression. There was none of the haughtiness Zelda remembered seeing earlier, but instead he seemed rather disturbed, unsure.

"I saw the young man being taken," Durmuni said, stopping as he reached them and folding his gigantic arms. "I do not understand why this would happen though. They also attempted to kidnap Dolo." He jerked his head at the short Goron, who hardly acknowledged this.

Zelda's hand cupped her chin and the other held the elbow of that arm as she wondered aloud, "But why would they do that? I understand that this was no ordinary, random Bokoblin attack. After all, it was preceded by that magical storm, which itself was also unusual due to its wide reach yet low degree of damage. It was just a mere nuisance, a hindering force, but not destructive. And now this attack, where there was no attempt to besiege myself or the King nor any of the aristocracy. Additionally, the Bokoblins were working with Wizzrobes, correct?"

Durmuni nodded as Link said, "Two of them."

"And then all they do is try to kidnap Dolo and they do kidnap one Hylian who has no political or societal or religious significance. All in all, it seems like a very well-planned, but extremely strange…prank is the only word that suits it. Yet if that were the case, why would they have gone to so much effort? Bokoblins do prank and raid randomly, but not with Wizzrobes. They only kill and attack strictly as needed." Zelda shook her head thoughtfully.

"So, you don't know why this happened?" Link asked.

Thinking him a little slow, Zelda answered, "I'm afraid not. I do not know of anyone who could discern why the monsters would act in this way, primarily because Dolo and your friend do not have any good reason to be kidnapped. And why kidnapped? Where would they take them? Why not just kill them? Why−"

"Princess." Impa interrupted in a low voice.

"Oh…yes, I apologize." She looked at Link and the Gorons. "I do prattle on when I am weary from a long day."

"Where would the monsters have gone?" Link asked.

"It's hard to say. Bokoblins roam about the outskirts of the land, and Wizrobes are the same, though they usually travel alone, so it's strange that there were two of them at once. Just another mystery. But, no, I don't believe we could pinpoint where the…you said, a gate, I suppose it was teleporting magic, taking them to another area of the land…we don't know exactly where that could have taken them. There are no sure signs." Noticing how Link's shoulders were slumping again, she raised her voice, making it lighter, "But we shall certainly do all we can. After all, the knights did not protect your friend, and that means that the fault lies with us at the moment. We certainly owe it to him to do all we can to track down the monsters and rescue him, if possible."

Link nodded, his expression clearing a little as he asked, "What can I do?"

Zelda looked at Impa, who gave a curt nod, then answered, "Nothing, I'm afraid. You're brave, certainly, but…" She shook her head. "This sort of thing will involve a great deal of danger, and you must not put yourself in this. Besides, I must be honest and say that there is not a great deal of a chance we can track him down. I mean, we shall do all we can, but…"

"What if I go out and look?"

Zelda tilted her head, smiling and asking in her best patient voice, "And what do you mean by that?"

"I can just go and search for him myself. If this sort of thing, with the Wizrobes and the Bokoblins together, is so unusual, someone else would have noticed it wherever they went through the gate to. If I keep looking around the areas where the monsters usually are, maybe−"

"No." Zelda was frowning, and spoke loudly, firmly as she said, "Going out alone, a green traveler? That is far too dangerous. Even if you can use a sword, and even though you are willing, this is a far too reckless idea. You're a boy, and you must leave this to us. I am sorry, but you have far less a chance of finding anything than we do. After you've finished any business here and in the city, you must go home immediately." Link's expression did not change; he still looked so resolute and firm that Zelda took a step forward, almost glaring at him. "I forbid you, as your Princess, from trying to do such a thing as you suggested. You would certainly die. Do you understand?"

Link's expression still stayed the same, but he nodded, and kept his eyes down. "I do understand."

"Very good. You should probably leave sooner than later." She turned to Durmuni. "Is there anything you would like to discuss with me?"

He shook his head. "Not at the moment."

"Very well. We should all retire for the evening, I think. It has been a long day."

Without another word, she turned and did not wait for Impa to open the door to her study; she flung it open herself and trod inside. After Impa closed it after her, she plopped down onto her chair ungracefully and finally kicked off those atrocious heels.


	11. Chapter 1 Part 10

Link was walking back to his quarters. It was late in the evening now, and while he had avoided the knights all day, now he checked each one he passed to see if it was Bolek. From Princess Zelda's reaction, apparently only Durmuni, Dolo and he had known of the monsters' abduction of Auru. Everyone else was convinced that the monsters had done no more than raid without plundering, causing very few causalities and a lot of property damage.

Even as the Princess forbade Link from searching for the monsters and Auru, he had decided to do so anyways. The moment she closed her study door, he immediately turned and walked away, disappointed at her inability to help him, making him all the more resolute in going to search himself. Still, as he left, he could feel the eye of the black-clad woman who served Zelda following him. She did not say anything, yet Link could not help but feel as though she knew what he was thinking; it took all the courage he had not to run away from her piercing gaze.

Ever since then he had occupied himself with working to help clean up the castle until curfew was called. Now he hurried back to his room, keeping an eye out for Bolek, his body was limp and weary, each step taking an effort. Fighting to keep his mind off of this morning and his failure to help Auru, he focused on how he would explore Hyrule alone. He remembered the map that was still in Auru's pack, as well as the larger, more detailed maps of all the land that Purel owned. Deciding he had to first go back to his hometown, he stopped, realizing he would have to explain everything to Layrel in person.

Trying not to run all of her possible reactions to the news through his mind, Link began to walk again, rubbing his sore left arm uneasily. Turning into a small side hall, he stopped. Bolek was walking towards him, scowling furiously, even though his face was unusually pale.

"Link! Is it true?" He stopped in front of Link, grabbing him by the shoulders. "That woman, Impa, Princess Zelda's attendant—she said Auru had been taken by the monsters! That's ridiculous! She was making it up, right? I mean, I haven't seen him all day, but…" He trailed off uneasily, and let go of Link, who kept his eyes on the ground.

"I saw it happen."

Bolek stepped back, his fists clenching and unclenching tautly. "And what were you doing? What, you just stood there and—"

"I did all I could!"

"If you did, then why are you even here?" Bolek jabbed him in the chest with his finger, seething. "You're the one who should've been taken off to get eaten!"

"H-he wasn't taken to be eaten!" Link shook his head. "Why would they go to all the effort? He's got to be alright."

"Or he could be dead!" Bolek folded his arms tightly, sneering, circling Link as he went on, "You don't know anything about monsters, do you? You don't have any idea—" Bolek cut off, turning away, nearly growling a stream of curses under his breath. When he finished, he rounded on Link again, his face now red with anger as he bellowed, "This is all your fault! You let him be killed and your stupid sister is the reason he was here in the first place—"

"Maybe if you hadn't been avoiding him all week—"

"Don't blame this on me!" Bolek jabbed him painfully again in the chest. Without thinking, Link swat his hand away. In response Bolek shoved him hard against the wall.

Despite his weariness, a small spark was welling up inside him; every time Bolek ignored Auru, every nasty thing he had said ever since they came to the castle, all of it suddenly burst forth, assaulting his vision and ringing in his ears.

Before he knew it he had punched at Bolek's face; he had enough sense this time to dodge, and then lunged to tackle him. The training with Golo egged at Link to do the smart thing and sidestep out of Bolek's reach, but instead he just started punching like mad, fighting without rhyme or reason. Bolek responded in kind and landed many blows on him, one that broke his nose much like Link had done to him days ago. Feeling the hot blood streaming down into his mouth, Link grabbed Bolek's annoyingly long ginger hair just as Bolek grabbed his collar, both ready to punch each other's face in—

"Bolek! Link!" Malon's voice, unusually shrill, came down the hall, freezing them. They both looked just as she stormed over to them, grabbed the backs of their shirts and wrenched them apart with surprising strength. Her face was flushed, and she glared at them with irritated astonishment. "What is wrong with you!? We just got attacked by hordes of monsters and you're beating each other up?" Letting go of them, she stood between them, snapping at Bolek, "So this is why you left? That lady, Impa, came and told you something, you said whatever it was it wasn't a big deal! So what's this now?"

"So…he was helping you?" Link asked, gesturing at Bolek with one hand while gingerly trying to wipe the blood from his nose. Earlier he had gone to the stables to see if Malon needed any help. She had insisted that the stables had not been affected by the attack, and that Link should work in the damaged areas of the castle and that she had gotten some extra help anyhow.

"Yes, he was helping me with putting the horses down when that Impa came," said Malon, looking at Link before glaring back at Bolek.

"It's none of your business," Bolek muttered, not meeting her gaze.

"Well I suppose that might be true if you weren't beating up my other stable hand," she said, waving a hand at Link.

"He punched me first!"

"I don't care who started it, I'll finish it if you can't act like adults!"

"Malon, listen," Link tried to keep his voice clear and placating even as he tilted his head back to stem the blood flow, "Auru, Bolek's brother, he disappeared during the monster attack."

"Oh." Malon's hand flew to her mouth and her face paled. "Oh, I'm so sorry. You don't have any idea where he could be? I mean…"

"He's dead, thanks to him!" Bolek could not seem to resist jabbing his finger into Link's chest again. Malon rebuked him angrily, slapping his arm down. They began to squabble, Malon both shouting and nearing the point of tears and Bolek putting so much effort into not losing his temper with her that neither of them noticed Link leaving.

Despite the cold, he headed outside into the small, deserted west courtyard. The moon shone down freely in a clear, dark sky. There was no wind. All around him the still courtyard appeared the deep blue only found in winter nights: everything outside appeared to be dyed in a royal, pure blue and the windows of the castle were blossoming with the yellow and orange colors of light and warmth.

Link walked out and sat down on a small, cold bench in the middle of the courtyard and looked at all around him. The colors of the night transformed the area in a distinct, lovely way, but he sighed, hardly noticing.

His nose was not as bad as he thought it was, not quite broken, and soon the bleeding had stopped. Dusting the snow away, he laid back on the broad bench seat, looking up at the stars. He remembered going out into the widest clearings and small hills in the woods around his hometown with Auru and Purel to study the stars. Even now, he remembered them well, and knew that he could start walking at that moment, and eventually find his way back home without any maps or directions.

Shaking his head, he muttered, "Still need a map for small things" and gingerly rubbed his nose. On top of his weariness, which was currently abated by the cold, he now had the recent bruises from the fight with Bolek, which somehow seemed to reawaken the pains he had earned from training with Golo. He relished the freezing bench pressing against his back and the chill air, which dulled the pain to a degree. As he focused on the stars again, he thought of Layrel, Auru and his home, then tried not to think of how Layrel would take the news of her fiancée's abduction.

"I'll tell her I'm going to find him." He reached up at the stars with his sword hand, his left, slowly clenching his fist that was battered from colliding with Bolek's armor. "At least she won't try to go out on her own, then." Grinning, he muttered, "She would." Shaking his head, he let his arm fall dully beside him.

Looking at the sky, he noticed the moon peeping above the walls and into the yard. Strangely, its light seemed much more vivid than usual. Link squinted at it.

_Not vivid, just…closer. Am I falling asleep? _

He noticed two pairs of transparent, insect-like wings flapping around the moon and sighed. The teal fairy floated away from blocking the face of the moon and swooped down at him. Remembering how it had been her plight that had stopped him from going through the gate of light after Auru, Link closed his eyes, deciding to just ignore her.

"So, how are you going to do that?" she asked, her voice quite mild. Still, he did not answer.

"I said, how are you going to go after that man? That man the monsters took?" She must have floated down very close, because he heard a faint tingling noise, like a bell, sounding as though it was right next to his ear. Warming his face was a glow of warmth, like a small flame.

Still, he ignored her.

"Because you don't know anything about monsters, do you?"

Link finally opened his eyes to see her floating mere inches away from his face as he said, "I know enough. I can get help if I need it."

"So, you don't know what you're going to do."

Link sighed, and kept his voice even as he asked, "Do you want something?"

"Well, I was just curious." She flew even closer to him, though he did not move. Because she was so close, he could see a figure inside the teal ball of light.

He remembered a scroll that Purel owned written by a scholar named Klien that detailed a great deal about fairies. According to Klein, hidden by their veils of warm light was the real shape of a fairy: a young woman, inhumanly beautiful in all traits and features.

Link blinked quickly, adjusting his eyes to her light, clearing his vision.

He was surprised to see perhaps the strangest looking woman he had ever laid eyes upon, aside from her miniscule size. She did have a fairly cute, full face with a pointed chin. Her skin was the same teal blue shade as her light, though where a flush of red would have been on a Hylian, such as the lips, she only had a lighter shade of blue. Her pointed ears were unadorned and her eyebrows were so small they looked like mere dots.

Klein described at length how all fairies as had long, luscious, flowing locks of bountiful hair. This fairy's head seemed to have been mostly shaved, so only hair on the very top was growing, pin-straight and dark blue, spilling down in the front in long bangs, while almost all behind her pointed ears was pulled into a single braid, falling down her back and reaching down to her waist.

Her build itself was highly irregular; Klein had regaled visions of voluptuous, healthy, mature beauties. And yet this fairy looked much like a fourteen year old who has been so poorly underfed that she was bordering on so skinny it was painful to witness.

Lastly, to completely discredit Klein, she was not, as he described, "only wrapped in a fine, sheer gauze of faint light." Rather, she was wearing strips of rags for clothes. She had a short-sleeved dress with a single very dirty strip of cloth for a belt, as well as shoes, one of which was just some old, softened, thin rope, while the other was a rag that was tied in place around her foot.

Link was mentally tearing Klein's scrolls to shreds.

The fairy quickly realized he was staring, and his surprise must have been evident, for she crossed her arms and sneered at him, flying away, once again appearing as just a mere ball of light with wings. Link decided it might be an improvement.

"Do you want something?" she snapped, her voice no longer mild in the least. She flew around quickly, pacing back and forth alongside his bench.

"I just wanted to know what you wanted," Link replied, sitting up. "What were you doing out there in the field last night?"

"Well, that's…" The fairy slowed, and then started flying in a tight circle. "I was just looking around for a place to sleep. It was noisy where I was, so I was trying to find somewhere quiet. I just ran into trouble."

Link swung his legs off of the bench, looking up at her. "Do you want anything else?"

She did not answer, so he stood up, making to leave when she suddenly flew down in his face, saying, "Listen listen! I wanted to, uh…" She floated away a little, then began to fly in a circle above his head. "I mean, thanks for saving me. Again. I didn't think you would, since your friend was being taken away."

"It was nothing."

"But really! I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if you blame me."

Keeping his mouth firmly shut and his words bottled down, Link began to walk away, not wanting to say anything he would regret. Still, the fairy followed him, prattling, "And look, since you did that for me, I mean…well, it was NOT my fault you didn't save your friend, let's get that straight first, okay? But hey, since you did do that for me, I want to repay you, alright?"

Link just shook his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The fairy flew in front of him again with a sharp, harsh shimmering sound that hurt his ears. He tried to walk around her, but she kept getting in his way as she continued, "I know you're trying to find your friend, and I can help you!"

Link finally stopped. "How? You can't even save yourself when you're in a bottle."

"Just because I can't beat up people or smash things like an oaf doesn't mean I'm worthless!" Her voice was becoming so high pitched Link had to fight against laughing at it. "I'm great with magic in other areas! I can help you find your way around Hyrule, you'll never be lost! And tracking, I can track people I've been around, even a little. How do you think I found you out here?"

Before he could stop himself, Link replied, "You followed my scent. I could get a dog for that."

"WHAT?! I am no ugly, stinky, furry, disgusting, filthy mutt! You little—" She stopped flying all together, hovering in one spot, vibrating in fury. Link could hear her muttering to herself furiously in her tiny voice for a few moments before she finally began to flutter normally, speaking in a very patient voice, "I can track people over immense distances, better than any dog, Hylian, horse, with my MAGIC. And I can sense magic, like the magic those Wizzrobes used to take your friend and the Moblins! I can track their magic really well! And I'm the only one who can help you find him quickly, before anything happens."

When Link did not reply, she floated down in front of Link's face, saying in a more sincere voice, " Listen, I owe you. I won't lead you astray. We can travel Hyrule and find him together, alright?"

Link was about to nod in agreement, but then hesitated, saying, "Can you turn yourself invisible?"

"What? Why would you ask that? Don't you want to be seen in the presence of a lovely lady like me?" She fluttered her wings in what Link guessed was supposed to be a flirty kind of way, but it just looked like she was having some sort of seizure.

"People might keep trying to capture and sell you."

"Humph. True. Well, I guess I'll just hide in your shirt again—"

Link furiously shook his head no.

"Well what do you want me to do?!"

Frowning, he scratched his head absentmindedly and noticed that he was still wearing his hat.

"How about this?" Link took off his hat, holding it open. "If someone comes along, you can just hide in here."

"Hmm…"

Link put his hat back on, and the fairy floated over to his head. After flying around it a couple times, she swooped down and squirmed inside of his hat. She kicked him a couple times, but was able to slide inside quickly. He felt her flying around inside for a moment, and then she quickly swooped back out again.

"It's so stuffy in there!"

"I…I guess I could poke some holes," Link said, taking his hat off and looking at it.

"Well, I guess it will do." The fairy flew down little, in front of his right arm. She stayed there for a moment, hovering, and then snapped, "Well, let's shake on it!"

Link hesitated, but then held out his right hand as if for a handshake. She flew forward, covering his hand in her light and the warm glow. He felt her miniscule hands grab the end of his pointer finger and let her shake it up and down a couple times.

"There!" She flew up, resting down on his head. "It's settled. We'll leave tomorrow morning, before dawn!"

Link nodded, only for her to scold him. "Don't move your head! I'm sitting up here!"

Keeping his head as still as he could, Link turned and walked for the doors, ready for sleep. Before they went inside, he asked, "What's your name?"

"A gentleman goes first, or so I've heard."

He gulped. "Link."

"I'm Truett. What kind of a name is Link? You've never had a nickname in your life, have you?"

Link paused with his hand on the doorknob, but decided to just keep quiet and hurried inside.


	12. Chapter 1 Part 11

It was an hour before dawn. The earliest grey and pink lights of dawn were touching the sky, while the world below was mostly illuminated by the soft glow of the moon, which was just disappearing behind the white mountains in the west. Link had awoken himself early, even before almost all of the castle household. He had packed the previous night. Truett refused to get up and instead stayed sleeping, now inside of his hat, in which he had poked appropriate, tiny holes for air. Now as he stepped out onto the snowy castle grounds and headed for the city, he could feel the warmth of Truett's glow and the faintest of drafts inside his hat. The sensations were not uncomfortable, but rather strange, and he had to resist the urge to scratch his head or shift his hat around.

Reaching the walls and the gates that connected the castle grounds to the aristocratic quarter of the city, he spotted at least fifteen knights watching over the area. Most were up on the top of the gates, while others were walking up on the wall to patrol. Talking with the few knights on the ground was a Goron. Link slowed, walking forward uneasily. He did not want to meet Dolo or Durmuni again, wondering if they would tell the Princess of his departure. Yet he recognized the Goron as Golo and straightened up, walking easily towards the gate.

The knights spotted him and Golo turned, his expression surprised. "Link! What are you doing out here?"

"I'm heading home," he replied. "Look, thank you for training me. It helped a lot." He grinned as well as he could. "I might have been killed by those Moblins if you hadn't helped me."

Golo grinned unassumingly, shoving Link's arm in a firm but friendly manner. "It's nothing, nothing! I'm glad you survived though. Durmuni was telling us about it, you were brave for someone so small."

"Right." He stretched his arm, saying, "I should probably get going."

"Hey." Golo's expression turned serious. "Are you going to find your friend, your brother?"

As the knights were otherwise occupied, Link answered with a small nod. Golo smiled again.

"I knew it. Durmuni said other peoples don't do that for their kin, but you're…a little different. Good luck."

"Thank you."

Truett awoke after Link reached the edge of the quiet aristocratic quarter of the city. She guided him through the maze of the smaller roads leading to the East Gate of Hyrule Castle City. The sun had arisen by the time they reached it, and the city was already bustling; Link knew he would have gotten lost if Truett was not whispering directions in his ear. He reached the drawbridge gate just as it was lowered for the morning, and, despite the activity within the city, he was the only one to leave it, and none were entering.

Hyrule Field, which had been full of different landmarks such as rocks, patches of undergrowth and the like, now only appeared a single, endless sheet of white snow. The river flowing into the city was not frozen over as the moat around the castle was, but was flowing freely. Like any bare trees that appeared in the landscape and boarded the eastern areas beyond the river, the water appeared black against the snow.

Truett had him stick by the river as they traveled, only leaving it to cut across land to save time. At night she would help him find some sort of trees, bushes or rocks that were bunched together for cover. Then he would clear the snow away from around the area, making enough room for a fire, and then she had him pack the snow into a ring that circled his camp. The first night, after Truett had fallen asleep, he heard strange, distant rumbling sounds like snow falling off of a high roof. Recalling stories he had heard of monsters made of snow, he poked Truett until she woke up.

"Whuzzit?" she asked dully, not moving from her place inside Link's hat.

"What is that sound?"

The thumping sound returned, coupled with a faint, inhuman wail in the air. There was a distant sound of snow crunching, as if something much larger than a Goron was roaming around.

"Your fire is still on," Truett said dismissively. "The monsters will stay away."

"What monsters are there? The snow ones?"

"Uh, sure. The fire and the circle of snow will keep them away. Just don't let the fire die. They won't try to extinguish it, so don't worry." With that, she fell asleep and did not allow Link to rouse her again.

In the morning, as they left the campsite and continued along, they passed areas where the snow had been furrowed violently. There was also the sparse remains of several snow rabbits and other small creatures of the plains. The bones were crushed, and he spotted a rabbit skull that had been half-eaten. As the days went by, there were similar signs of monsters in the day and night, and yet none disturbed him and there were no signs of creatures like Stalchildren.

The snow was thick, still wet, and showed little sign of melting away. The days were clear, with a cold sun and cold air that allowed for no warmth to sink into land or water. As they traveled during daylight, it was usually completely silent. When Link had traveled with the caravan, he had been surrounded by the noise of the men, horses, wagons and even just the sound of the grass and brush being blown by the wind. Now with the snow and little breeze, the fields were completely quiet and still, save for the river.

Link had both Auru's and his share of food, so he had no need to hunt. Each night he would warm up some of the water from the river and drink the hot water slowly before settling down to sleep.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the river curved down to the south-west and he saw where it met the southern woods, leading to his home. Spotting the bridge that connected the fields to the side of the river the fishing villages were on, he made a beeline for it. A sharp breeze had spun up at noon, and at the moment Truett was in his hat keeping warm. She only looked out once to see the bridge and told him to continue on his way. Walking briskly, Link soon crossed the enormous bridge, trying not to think of when he had crossed it with Auru and had seen the fields for the first time. He continued steadily onwards towards his village, keeping in mind he had some distance to go.

The early dusk of winter was well on the shoulders of the black, bare trees by the time Link reached his village. A freezing wind came from the river which was flowing strongly, clear of any ice floes. All the villagers were inside their warmly lit houses, and outside the village lantern was glowing like a beacon. As he looked at it, Link felt a sharp twinge of guilt as he remembered the lantern in his memories of Auru, how Auru always used to steal it when they went out into the forest.

Feeling strangely hollow inside, he kept his eyes away from the lantern and was glad no one was about as he walked into the village and towards his house. The lights were on in the inside, and Link supposed Layrel might be eating alone.

Reaching the door, he could hear two voices: Layrel's no-nonsense, young, feminine voice and the old, slightly scratchy voice of Purel. Sighing, Link knocked on the door lightly.

"You stay there, I'll get it," Purel's voice came through, and in a moment, the door peeped open.

"Link!" The old knight was beaming as he flung the door opened and gestured for him to come inside. "You're back so early, too."

"Link! Auru!" Layrel rushed over to him, looking behind him for her fiancée. Not seeing him, she shoved past Link and out the doorway, and looking around hurriedly before turning back, asking, "Did he go to his house?"

Link shook his head. "I have something I need to tell you, both of you. I don't want the whole village to know."

Layrel closed the door and walked over, grabbing Link's shoulder, making him face her. Her eyes were narrowed, searching his face, her voice scarce as she asked, "Link, where is Auru?"

"Let's all sit down," Purel interjected quickly.

They settled down near the fire, Purel and Layrel sitting beside each other, facing Link. He did not look at either of them, and instead focused on his hands as he began, "We went to Hyrule Castle to see Bolek, and once we were there, there was this snowstorm. It lasted for days. The night after it ended, monsters attacked the castle. They got inside—"

"Outrageous," Purel muttered, half to himself. "These young knights, don't know what they're doing, letting their guard down—"

"And then what?" Layrel asked, ignoring the old knight's mumblings.

Running his hand over his chin, trying to keep himself steady, Link continued, "They got inside, and they didn't try to steal anything or kill any of the royalty or anything. They only tried to kidnap one of the Gorons who was visiting and they also…" He took a slow breath, then as he released it, finished, "They also took Auru."

"No." Layrel stood up, shaking her head, looking down at Link. "That's—that doesn't even make any sense." She sat back down, glaring at Link. "I mean, why would they do that? How could that even…"

Link just shook his head. "Both I and another Goron who was there saw it happen. There were these magical monsters, Wizzrobes, I think, they helped the other monsters escape with him."

Layrel shot up again and opened her mouth to speak, but could not manage anything. Her expression was aghast, her face suddenly ashen. Immediately Link made to get up and go to her, but Purel took a hold of her hand, saying, "Sit down, let's hear his story. Tell us all about everything, the trip, the storm and that night. There may be some explanation hidden."

After his sister sat down, Link told them about how he and Auru traveled with the Gorons, how they arrived at the castle and met Bolek, how the blizzard started and continued for days, and about the night of the monster attack and how he had lost Auru by saving a fairy. Layrel was listening with her face in her hands, leaning over with her elbows on her knees. Purel kept a hand on her shoulder the entire time.

After Link finished, the old knight asked, "And did you bring this matter to anyone?"

"Yes, I told Princess Zelda. She was surprised, she didn't know anything about why it happened or…" His words seeming to catch in his throat; he raised a hand to his mouth and looked away at the fire.

"How could this happen?" Layrel's voice was a faint croak. Link looked back to see her face was stained with tears. "I don't believe it. I…I can't believe it. It doesn't make any sense!"

Rising, Link walked over and sat down before her, putting his hands on her shoulders. After trying unsuccessfully to speak, he leaned forward and embraced his sister. She returned the gesture rather feebly, her hands and shoulders starting to tremble. Leaning back, she finally met his gaze.

"Layrel, have I ever lied to you?"

Grinning cheerlessly, she shook her head and leaned forward into his shoulder, letting herself cry freely, like she had not done since their parents died.

A while later, it was dark outside and Purel was serving tea made from the needles of the pine trees that grew around Zora's Domain. The drink was rejuvenating, and Link felt some energy coursing back into him, though his eyes and limbs felt far more exhausted than they had for a very long time. They sat closer to the fire. Layrel was in a blanket, staring at the flames, her eyes still wet, every now and then wiping her nose with her sleeve. Inside Link's hat, Truett had stayed still and silent, and now she had fallen asleep, becoming a miniscule dead weight on his head.

As the other two were silent, Purel had been talking for a while, analyzing the magical blizzard and the monsters' attack. "I would not put such a storm past Wizzrobes, they can be capable of such feats, if working in a large enough number." He shook his head a little exaggeratedly, almost looking like a hen as he sat down with his own tea cup. "It's just strange over all. Though, considering everything, I think we have very little reason to worry for Auru's life."

Layrel was crying silently into her tea. Wrapping his free arm around his sister, Link cleared his throat, raising his eyebrows at the old knight. Shifting in his seat, Purel fell silent and began to drink his tea. For some reason, he looked far older and wearier than Link had ever seen him.

Two more servings of tea later, Layrel was dabbing her eyes dry, saying, "I shouldn't be acting this way. Here this is hard on everyone, and I just…" She sniffed loudly and wiped her eyes roughly with her sleeve.

"It's alright," Purel said, though his voice sounded very strained. "After all, you were to be married—"

"Not were, are." Link sat up straight, looking directly at his sister. "Princess Zelda said she would do what she could to look into it, and I'm also going to go out and search for him."

Layrel's face lit up and she nearly smiled, but then she frowned, puzzled. "How are you going to do that? Were there any clues?" She looked uncertainly at Purel, who shrugged.

"I've got someone who will help me." Link took off his hat, and looked inside. Truett was still asleep, and he could hear the very faint sound of her snores. Giving his hat a small shake, he whispered, "Get up. I need you to meet my sister."

The fairy only replied with a more pronounced snore that sounded like a snort.

Turning his hat upside-down, Link shook it with one hand and held the other out underneath. He kept shaking until Truett plopped out and onto his hand, her wings fluttering faintly, wearily. She was still snoring.

"A fairy!" Layrel nearly shrieked; Purel practically flew out of his seat, jumping up and staring wide-eyed.

"Impossible!" He stepped forward and sat down close. "Link, how on earth did you find her? Is this the one you saved during the attack?"

He nodded, settling Truett on the ground and then pulling his hat back on. "She came to me the next night, and said she'd help me find Auru. She said that her magic lets her track magic, the Wizzrobe's magic, and find her way around Hyrule. She guided me back here well enough."

"That's just funny." Layrel leaned down, peering at the fairy, who rolled over in her sleep. "I thought all fairies were sky blue, or pink or green, or yellow even, just not this light teal blue color."

"Well, there's no reason why there can't be variations," Purel said solemnly, also looking at the fairy, then sitting up. "So, Link, when will you be leaving?"

"Well…" He looked over at Layrel. "Tomorrow morning, if you don't need me."

She reached over and grabbed his free hand. "Can I come with you? Please let me come."

"I, uh…" He gulped and looked at Purel for help.

The old knight was already shaking his head. "Absolutely not. You don't know what dangers some areas of Hyrule hold for a young woman."

"I'm sure they hold dangers for young men, too!" she snapped, gripping down tightly on Link's hand, pinching him with her fingernails.

"Yes, but Link has learned how to fight from his early boyhood. He can protect himself. He knows the stars and how to read maps, so even if he is separated from his fairy, he'll do alright. I taught him about the caravan routes, so he can always join one if things get rough. He knows how to escape from all sorts of perils, thanks to the worst of Bolek's bullying. And, he knows how to hunt on his own. And…" Purel's expression grew dark, and he stroked his thin white beard restlessly, "I hate to say it, but I'm sure the slave trade is still out there, and if you were to be separated—"

"Alright!" Layrel had gotten to her feet, seething. Tears had sprung back to her eyes and she turned away, wiping them away quickly. Truett had stopped snoring at her shout and fluttered up lazily from Link's hand, making his hat that was lying on the ground.

"Layrel, don't worry." Link cupped his hands around Truett, who stayed put as he stood up and walked over to his sister. "We'll find Auru and bring him home. We'll do everything we can." He looked down at the fairy, saying, "Right, Truett? You'll help me find Auru, right?"

She gave a yawn that sounded like a tinkering bell, then said, "Yes yes. I can trace the monster's magic, and him too, to a degree. But we'll find him, don't you worry. Now can I go back to sleep?" Without waiting for an answer, she flew out of his hands and swooped down inside his hat.

"So, you'll go tomorrow?" Layrel asked. The light in her eyes that had come with seeing the fairy was dying, but she did not look as pale as before.

He nodded. "If that's alright."

"Of course. Of course, we can't leave him out there any longer than…" She took a shuddering breath, then turned away to Purel, asking, "You said they probably won't…try to do anything to him, right?"

Purel nodded slowly. "If they went out of their way to do such a thing, I don't believe it'd be merely for some quick sport…and you and I both know that Auru is a little thin for a snack. But yes, we have little reason to worry. He was captured unharmed, and we both know he has an excellent head on his shoulders. Why, he might have already escaped them." He met Layrel and patted her shoulder, saying in a heavy, serious voice, "I have every faith in him."

"Thank you. You're right."

Layrel arose and began to clear things away without another word. As Purel went to help her, Link remembered that he had purposely left out that Auru's arm had been broken. As he watched them work, he decided it was for the best.

Rather than getting to sleep early, Link and Layrel stayed awake late into the night, during which Layrel talked, entirely about Auru. She often repeated the same stories, talking about how he teased her when they were young, the times they pulled pranks on Bolek together because Link refused to do so, and how they had wasted time together last winter, wandering and talking while Link was busy.

Although he had hoped to get to sleep earlier, Link was glad that his sister was willing to talk, supposing it helped her and found that it was far more accommodating and pleasant while sleeping inside by a large hearth and fire. When she finally went to sleep and he followed, he found the next morning that the rest was far better than any he had gotten out in the cold, hard ground of the fields.

He woke up early, long before the first sign of dawn. The moment he sat up, he heard the slow, steady breathing of his sister die as she too awoke. Immediately she went down to the cellar as he dressed in fresh clothes. She brought back with her a fresher variety of preserved and cold food. As he boiled water on the fire for more tea, she unpacked his belongings, as well as what of Auru's bag Link had managed to bring back, and then repacked a single bag with mostly fresh items. Amongst them was a good-sized, clean glass jar of honey.

"Save it for cuts and burns if you don't have any water or anything nearby," she said, giving him a look that warned against frivolous use. Link nodded as she packed the jar, adding, "Once you're finished with it, wash it out with clean water and it'll be good for just about anything."

"Anything but fairies," muttered Truett, who as fluttering around the fire. She mostly ignored everyone else, and just waited for them to be finished with their work. When the water boiled and Link prepared the tea, he asked her if she wanted any. She refused with a small laugh.

Someone rapped lightly at the door, and Link went over and opened the door to let in Purel, along with a sharp breath of freezing wind. The old knight was clutching something under his cloak, hiding it as he walked inside and took Link's cup of tea for himself. Layrel finished her work and joined the others by the fire, all drinking tea together again. To Link she silently gave some hearty bread that was just a few days old. He ate it quietly as Purel spoke, still hiding something under his cloak.

"Link, I give you full permission to take my sword and shield. You'll be needing them."

"Yes. Thank you." Link realized he had forgotten the previous night to even think of asking the old knight's permission. He shifted and looked down at his cup, embarrassed.

"But you'll need more than a fairy and some flint and fire to protect you from the cold." He shook his head wearily. "This is going to be an especially cold winter, I can feel it. There have been signs all autumn that this frost we've had, it's going to stick throughout the season, and while it's here, it'll be completely merciless. So…"

He looked at the two siblings, and then drew out from his cloak an old iron lantern. They gasped, recognizing it as the village lantern, still ablaze by magic as always, letting off warmth and light, but never burning anything or anyone. Purel held it up towards Link, but he hesitated to reach for it.

"It's mine to give." Purel gave him a small smile. "It was my family years ago that brought this lantern here. I sent it with them. They died, and it was left in the center of town, but it's still very much my own. I just kept it a secret, to see what stories the villagers would make up about its origins. But the mayor knows that it is rightfully mine. So, take it."

As Link took the lantern in his hands, he realized this was the first time he had held it on his own. The object had always perplexed him too much; he preferred to work with normal, solid wood, stone and water, nothing mystical or mysterious. Yet, he reflected that he was also going to be following a fairy around the vast lands of Hyrule. With a small smile, he looked at the dancing light of the lantern and decided he might as well get used to the unusual.

"That's such a gift," Layrel said in a low voice. "Are you sure?"

"Auru always loved it." Purel smiled sadly, the expression half hidden as he looked down and absently stroked at his beard. Link noticed his face had the same worn look as last night. "I taught him all these years. He was my brightest student, and certainly one of the most eager, especially when it came to books. Even after his parents died, he always remembered me. I remember…" He broke off into a short sigh, then finished, "Auru always loved it, so it should help you find him."

Afterwards he pulled out some maps and, after they finished their tea, helped Link pack them properly. He spoke of a compass that he had lost in his youth that would show him where the north star was, even on cloudy nights. As they finished all of the packing, he continued in one of his long stories of his early knighthood in which he used the compass to save his life while lost in the never-ending north mountains past the castle.

When they made it outside, the wind was still blowing cold. Truett did not go inside Link's hat, but instead flew in slow circles either around him or whomever was talking to him. After Purel gave him some last advice, Layrel and Link embraced as Truett flew around the two of them. Link could feel Auru's engagement necklace in his leather pouch, hidden in his front pocket. As Layrel stepped back, wiping her eyes furiously, he considered giving it to her. Internally he shook his head.

"Just come back with him." Layrel looked up, straightened up and managed a firm smile. "I'll be praying for the both of you, I…"

"Farewell, Link," Purel interjected, giving him a firm handshake.

When Link hesitated to turn away from them, Truett floated over to him, saying, "You ready to go? I already can feel the monster's magic. I know how to find them. None of you should worry while I'm leading him." With that she flew up and impatiently hurried on ahead, away from the village.

Link left Layrel and Purel both waving goodbye to him. He had the lantern at his waist, covered, as the soft light of the near dawn lighted the world. The wind blew at him fiercely, but he ignored it, and did not slow or stop once as he walked away from his home towards the frozen plains of Hyrule.


	13. Chapter 2 part 1

"Hey! Get up!"

Link rolled over under the small fur blanket that Layrel had given him two nights ago. The ground was warm beneath him, yet the outside air was the strong, airy cold of morning. Wind swept snow outside of the small, miniscule cave in the river rocks that was only large enough for him to crawl in and lie down. Truett did not seem to mind the cold, as the fairy kept flying around outside, shouting at him.

"I said, get up!" Swooping down next to him, she pulled on his ear until he propped himself up on his elbows, the top of his head grazing the stone above. Slowly he threw the blanket off and pulled on his cloak instead. He had not bothered to even take off his boots last night, and had little to pack. Rolling his blanket together last and tying his pack with leather straps, he set it down beside the miniature cave and walked out and down to the bank of Zora's River.

It was well into the morning, and a clear sky let a cold sun shine down on him from its place just above the high east horizon. On the far west side of the river was the enormous, leafless winter forest. Now on its bank, he could see where the river disappeared into the forest in the south. The trees continued beyond this point, rising up on nearby mountains to the south, with one in particular standing out as the closest and easily the largest. The land leading to the mountains was rockier and fully of uneven hills, some sloping gently while others was sharp and unpredictable. All the land was dusted with white snow and frost.

"We'll be going away from the river and back to the road," Truett was saying as Link knelt down by the river, splashing his face lightly, shivering. "What I can sense—it's coming from the woods and that huge mountain."

Link stopped, looking at her. "I looked at the map last night. That mountain is the Forbidden Woods."

"Yeah, so? You want to find your friend, Auru, right?"

"Well, yes." He looked back at the river, seeing his own reflection blurred in its currents. "But I heard it was against the law to go there."

Truett snorted. "You said that princess forbade you to go out and search for your friend. It won't be much of a step further to ignore some silly law."

After taking a long drink from the river, he headed back to his pack, asking, "Are there fairies on that mountain?"

"Well, it is where the Forest Children live, next to the Lost Woods. Fairies are everywhere around those places." She sighed. "Or, at least they were."

After double-checking to make sure he had everything, Link pulled the pack onto his shoulders and followed Truett away from the river. The wind blew strong, but snatched little snow in the air, as most of it had frozen over. Truett led him between the steeper hills and taller rocks, giving some cover.

Unlike further north in Hyrule Field, there were few signs of the snow monsters that hunted in the night. However, yesterday Link had spotted the paw prints of wolves by the riverbank. He had kept an eye out for them since and as they walked along continued to do so, but he had not seen any yet.

After a while, Truett flew up high into the air. Link slowed to a stop, shielding his eyes, watching her. She flew nearly out of sight, but then returned, diving at him and coming to land on his shoulder.

"We'll reach the forest by tonight. Just take it easy today and watch your step. You'll want to save your energy for the forest." She started to fly ahead of him again, giving a tinkering laugh. "You'll probably trip and fall and get caught so many times in those woods. Ah, it's so hard not to be unable to fly and to be so cumbersome!"

Ignoring her insult, he asked, "Are you from the Forbidden Woods, Truett?"

She slowed for a moment, but then kept flying, saying, "I grew up there. Everyone does, normal fairies, Great Fairies, everyone. It's our home."

"How long has it been since you were there?"

"I don't know. A very long time? I haven't exactly counted the winters."

After hurrying down a particularly rocky, icy ravine down into a narrow valley between two of the sloping hills, Link asked, "Did you have a family?"

"Well, of course I had sisters, but everyone did. " Suddenly Truett turned, flying right into Link's face, making him come to a halt as she asked, "Why are you asking so much all of a sudden? You've been silent as the grave ever since we left your home."

After considering for a moment, Link shrugged.

Truett sighed, a sound like a wisp of wind caught in a pinched tunnel, making a high-pitched whisper. "Well, less talking, more walking."

They continued traveling all day. The terrain varied constantly from solid stone to pebbles to earth, all laced with ice and snow. The going was slow, and any time he did slip on the ice, Truett would titter or giggle, and occasionally make a jabbing remark about his clumsiness. He never responded, and soon she too went quiet.

By evening the forest mountain towered close in front of him, and he soon started up the rocky incline leading to it. There were no trees outside of the forest's edge, as if it was a singular body restrained from spreading outwards by invisible skin. The wind had died in the early afternoon, but now it picked up again, stronger, yet not nearly as cold as before. It rushed through the lifeless, tightly knit trees of the forest; lacking leaves, the naked trees just seemed to blur and bend together as one. Still, he could hear a consistent, dry moaning issuing from the forest as the trees were twisted by the wind's overpowering breath.

"Where should we camp?" he asked. Now they were close to the forest, only about a ten minute walk away. The land sloped upwards neatly, not too steep, covered with a thin layer of crusted, brittle snow, though every now and then there was a rocky drop-off where the snow had not touched. There was no sign of life around, not wolves, squirrels or winter hares. With the sound of the river long gone, having flowed into the eastern forest and disappeared in the morning, Hyrule Field was completely still and silent behind them. There was only the groaning forest.

"Wait a moment." Truett flew up again, then ahead and out of sight towards the forest. Link looked around. Nearby was a low, stony shelf, jutting out. Dusting the snow off, he sat down, folded his arms for warmth and waited, looking out at the field. In the distance, all he could see were the sharp hills he had just come from in the north. To the west were wide knolls, lit starkly by the setting sun, which was close to resting down for the night. The sky above was a pale peach, orange and blue, still cloudless. The wind's breath suddenly renewed its vigor and he pulled his hat more firmly down onto his head. Pulling his cloak around him securely, he got up from the rock, looking around again for Truett.

After a few minutes, he heard the sound of her wings, beating so fast that it let out one, extended, high-pitched noise. Turning around, he saw her flying at him at top speed, her wings blurred, almost flying right into him.

"What is it?" he asked, watching as she slowed by flying circles around him and then came to a stop, hovering.

"There's a camp," she said tersely, sounding just a little out of breath. "I saw them at the last minute."

"Did you see who they are?" he asked, his hand already around his sword's hilt.

"Sort of." He could hear the frown in her voice as she continued, "They aren't bandits or anything like that. Honestly, aside from a couple bigger fellows, they look like a bunch of…well, they might be inner-city aristocrats, with fur coats and cloaks. Wearing nice things, just begging to be robbed."

Link frowned, thinking, _That scholar, Talno—he said he wasn't the only one researching the Forbidden Woods. Maybe…_

Truett sighed, coming to land on his head. "Do you want to go and spend the night with them? It'd be safer to be in a herd, group, whatever you call yourselves. As I know it, there are always packs of monsters in these woods."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. Don't worry, I'll just stay in your hat."

Link nodded. "I think I might know these people, sort of."

"Fine." She flew up and floated for a moment before flying inside his hat. She whispered, "Go to the forest's edge and head left. You won't miss them."

Link did as she directed, first walking up near the line of thickly woven forest trees. The setting sun was still giving light to the world, but the forest was thick, dark and indiscernible. The trees were still groaning.

Soon a campfire's light came into view. While the fire was rather small, he could make out the shadowed forms of several people around it, setting up tents and warming something over the fire. He slowed, squinting at the shapes. Three were smaller, wearing thick cloaks and coats lined with good fur. The other two were bigger, with leather armor and swords at their hips. They reminded Link of the guards that had traveled with the caravan on the way to Castle City.

Link walked close enough to see the contours of their faces, and then stopped. Knowing better than to approach silently, he waved his right arm, hallooing just loud enough to reach their ears. The two guards immediately reacted, turning towards his direction, their hands on their sword hilts. The three others looked around, eventually spotting him. He noticed a couple reached inside their thick cloaks, perhaps reaching for small swords or knives.

"Who goes there?" barked out the taller of the two guards.

Link slowed, realizing he had little idea how to answer this question. The truth would sound unbelievable, but he knew a lie would go afoul easily. So he called back, "My name is Link. Are you scholars from Castle City?"

"What's it to you?" The guard's voice was suddenly gruffer, lower. One of the smaller men broke apart from the rest, walking forward slightly.

Clearing his throat, Link answered, "I've heard of people researching the Forbidden Woods from a man called Talno."

"Talno?" The small man who had stepped forward walked up beside the tall guard. "Are you saying you know him?"

Nodding, Link answered, "I met him on the way to Castle City a month ago."

"Say that you got along," Truett hissed at him. "Say you parted on good terms with him. Now!"

Link hesitated, but then added, "Talno and I parted on good terms once we reached the city."

There was a pause, then the guard asked, "Are you traveling alone?"

"Yes."

"Stay there." The guard and small man retreated, and their company grouped together near the middle of their campsite. He could hear the mutter of their voices, but could not make out anything. After a minute, the guard gestured at him to come over and he quickly complied.

The campsite was in a small area surrounded by several tall stones, sticking upwards out of the mountainside, shielding them somewhat from the wind and letting their small fire burn well. There were five tents circled around the fire. Three were fine, made of good, thick, waterproof material and furs that would keep out the cold. The other two tents were thinner, cheaper, but covered with a sturdy tarp.

"Come over and sit," the guard who had spoken earlier said, pointing to stones just big enough to sit on arranged around the fire pit. One of the smaller, well-dressed men was already sitting. Choosing the side of the pit opposite him, Link slowly walked over and sat down. With all of their gazes on him, suspicious and hardly friendly, he had to consciously keep his left hand from automatically trailing to his sword hilt.

"What do you know about our research?" asked the man on the other side of the fire. He was wearing a large fur coat that made him look rather fat, although Link could tell he had a thin frame.

Realizing that he only knew what Auru had regaled to him, which was very little, Link slowly replied, "Talno just mentioned doing research in the Forbidden Woods, that he was looking for things like temples, magical trees and fairies."

"That's unusually tight-lipped of him," another fur-cloaked man said with a smile in his voice as he walked over and sat by Link. He pulled his hood back to reveal a middle-aged, thin, friendly face. The tension seemed to ebb away almost immediately as he said, "My name is Gutoh. Link, why are you on this mountain?"

"Actually, I wanted to go into the woods …" He trailed off, distracted by Truett hissing in his ear, saying, "Tell them you're looking for fairies because your mother is dying."

"That's," Link frowned, but looked at those around him with a clear expression as he said, "I'm looking for fairies—"

"For the money?" Gutoh frowned.

Shrugging, Link answered, "I don't know how much they cost. I just wanted one because I heard that they were good for healing people, and, this winter has been hard on my family so far, and my mother is dying. Nothing was working…" He trailed away and looked at the flames, feeling as if his insides were made of uncomfortable muck. The words were coming out a little too easily. He was not accustomed to lying, and yet the hard winters in his own past were suddenly all too easy to use.

His genuine feelings of uneasiness must have been showing clearly, Guoth actually reached over and patted his knee, saying, "Sorry to hear that."

"You want to camp the night with us, eh?" The taller guard stepped in front of Link, between him and the fire. His arms were crossed, his expression still skeptical.

Sitting up straight in his seat, Link nodded. "I won't get in the way, and I have my own food. I'll help if you need it—"

"We won't need it, unless…" The man looked down at Link, his arms crossed, his expression thoughtful. "We've never been in these woods this time of year, see, and who knows what kind of monsters are about. You've got a sword, and you must be decent with it to be traveling on your own. Interested in coming in with us, helping us find some fairies?"

"He's a jerk," Truett was whispering in a sharp voice.

"Say something?" the guard was glaring at Link now, who shook his head quickly.

"No, just—"

"That would be great," Gutoh was already nodding. "Most of us have been in the woods before, and this is your first time, isn't it? Why don't you come in with us?"

"The more, the more likely we are to survive," the guard said gruffly. "How does it sound?"

The other guard and the other scholars were murmuring consent. Link shifted in his seat uneasily, but noticed the guards were both giving him hard looks. Slowly, he nodded.

"Fantastic!" Gutoh reached out and they shook hands. Immediately the scholar began to rail on about the Forbidden Woods ("It's so old, we have no idea how old") and why they had chosen to go in the winter ("Too many caravans in the summer, too many questions"). The last of the scholars soon also sat around the fire, and soon all three were talking amiably. They rarely asked Link any questions, and he tried to answer any that were posed as honestly as he could.

The whole evening the guards stayed out of this inner circle, save when the meat that was roasting above the fire was finished and they all settled down to eat. Gutoh forced a strip of the hot food on Link, who ate it slowly, relishing it.

Although the scholars said much, Link learned very little. They mostly talked of the weather, how the chill had kept the snow on the ground, and how it was unlikely to snow again within the week. They referred to previous expeditions to the Forbidden Woods, but these stories only mentioned what the weather was like then and how they avoided running into monsters. They gave lengthy description of the botanical life of the woods, but soon it became apparent they had not actually discovered much at all, nor had they gone very far into the woods.

Link did not ask them anything, but learned through the evening and as they prepared for sleep. Aside from Gutoh there was the man in the enormous coat who was the youngest of the group. His name was Roe, and was roughly in his mid twenties, but had a cleanly shaven, round face that made him look much younger. He was cousins with the last scholar, Faron, a late middle-aged man with a weather-worn face and a long salt-and-pepper colored beard.

The scholars did not bother to clean the camp up much after the meal was finished, and instead set on getting ready for bed, complaining about the cold night air. The guards securely cleaned and stored up food, but did nothing else. Faron, who was the most well-traveled by his stories, was the only one in the company who bothered to do any cleaning. Gutoh, apparently worn out from doing most of the talking, disappeared very quickly inside his tent. When Roe asked Link where he would be sleeping, he indicated a small are near one of the rocks where the land sloped down.

Roe shuddered, asking, "Wouldn't you freeze?" Link just shook his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he went back to helping Faron clear the campsite.

That night, the two guards stood watch in intervals. Link had learned during the meal that the taller guard was named Narif, and the other was Vinn. As the night wore on, the wind suddenly grew much colder, almost too cold for his fur blanket to keep out. Waking up several times in the night, Link looked out from underneath his fur blanket at whichever guard was awake. Both usually huddled by the fire, which they kept alive through the night. Occasionally they looked over in his direction, whereupon he would close his eyes. Around midnight, Vinn snuck over and reached for Link's pack, which was at his feet. Thinking of Layrel's engagement necklace, his money, sword and shield, Link tensed, but did not move or stop breathing slowly. Keeping his eyes shut, he lazily rolled over and mumbled quiet nonsense. Vinn left his things and returned to the fire; neither of guards tried anything else that night.

Early morning, Link was awoken by Truett whispering at him. She had stayed under his blanket all night with him, and was now seated next to his head. She was close enough for him to see her, and he smiled at the sight of her bed head as she used her long fingers to roughly comb out her messy bangs and the rest of her hair that was not braided.

"What are you smirking at?" she whispered, barely audible.

"Nothing. What is it?" As he whispered back a reply, with a pang Link recalled the nights out in the woods that he and Auru had spent sleeping under the same blanket due to the chill. The smile vanished off his face and he laid his head down fully against his cloak that was spread out underneath him, suddenly feeling very cold.

"Well, I wanted to let you know that…" She hesitated, her tiny face a picture of uncertainty. "Well, I can feel the magic of the Wizzrobes coming from the forest. And, if you go in this group, they're more likely to show themselves. But, I can't trace your friend anymore, at least not right now. Maybe once we're a lot closer to him…" She trailed off, shrugging.

Link frowned, his brow furrowing. "I thought you said you could track him no matter what."

"I can't account for irregularities, okay? Listen, Wizzrobes took him and he's probably going to still be with them for some time. They rarely take people or things, but when they do, they don't just toss them away or let other monsters handle them. When I find the Wizzrobes, that's when we'll find him. And like I said, I should be able to sense him again once we are a good deal closer. It'll be fine!"

Running his hands down his face, Link kept his mouth shut and he pulled his hat on his head, Truett flying inside just in time. He slowly pulled the blanket up, and pulled it down, poking his face out.

A wind immediately struck at him, far colder than before. Immediately he pulled the blanket back over his head, shuddering, his teeth already chattering. He did his best to pull his cloak out from underneath him and pulled it over his clothes, pulling it securely around his neck and shoulders. More grateful than ever for the warmth of Truett's light in his hat, he slowly peeled his blanket back again.

It was sunrise, and the world was pale in its light. The sky above was clear save for high, distant clouds that were thin and wispy, indicating more cold weather to come. The air was so cold it was almost painful to breathe. Link's cloak did not have a cowl, so he just pulled it up as high and firmly around his neck and chin as he could. He noticed the extreme dryness of the air and felt at his lips. They were already chapped. Digging into his things, he found the small glass bottle with honey, and reached in with one finger, pulling out just enough to smear on his lips as a balm.

The moment after he finished with rolling up his blanket and securing his pack, he made a beeline for the campfire. It was much lower than last night, and was mostly hot coals. Both of the guards were huddled around it, their tents and equipment already packed, stored in real, large leather packs. They looked much neater and nicer than Link's mere thick straps securing his things. Wondering how much it would cost to buy a proper pack and maybe some smaller leather pouches for his belt, Link warmed his hands by the fire and occasionally stepped away to pace around the fire to keep warm.

The scholars got up very slowly. Faron was the first to come out of his tent, bundled up with his fur hood pulled above his head and a scarf shielding his neck and beard. He promptly pulled his tent down and folded it up, doing so with practiced ease. In just a few minutes he had got all his supplies ready to be hoisted on his back, and set them near his place where he sat around the campfire. The only thing he did not pack was a small pot in which he began to brew several cups of coffee.

The hot smell of the beverage was so pungent it spread over the small area even with the wind sweeping most of it away. They heard the scholars muttering and moving in their tents almost immediately. Within the half hour all of them had come out and had packed their tents.

The coffee was drunk and any breakfast was eaten in silence. They did not offer Link any coffee, which he did not mind—the drink's intense, bitter smell was foreign and unappetizing to him. When most everyone was finished, Narif stood up, saying, "We'll go into the woods within a few minutes. Now, you know your old path from here, right Gutoh?"

The scholar nodded, his friendly face managing a small affirming smile. "Most certainly. And we also have Faron's help to guide us, should I confuse the path due to the season. There is a path I remember, but..." A smile crept on his face and he looked at Roe and Link. "That's the thing, these woods have paths laid out in them, and yet you'll still be lost if—"

"Yes, I've heard," cut in Roe in a bored voice, though he was scowling. "Stop trying to scare me."

It took them little time to finish packing and put out the campfire. As they left, Roe looked back at the campsite with a sigh, muttering about wishing to sleep longer. Faron clapped him on the shoulder and recommended that he "bear with it and stop your whining."

They headed up the side of the mountain, straight towards the woods. At first the forest looked almost like tangled vines, the trees and their limbs so close together they seemed as a single barrier. Yet as they approached, Link spotted a small gap, like a thin archway in a wall, making a narrow opening into the forest.

To get inside they went in single file. Leading was Gutoh, the guard Vinn, Faron, Roe, Link and then bringing up the rear, Narif. The wind was colder, but not very strong, so the woods were no longer moaning as they were last evening. Yet as they walked into the dark forest, the entire company went silent. Link looked up at the tree limbs above them, seeing them crisscross and intertwine with each other perfectly. Even though the limbs were close and thick together, they never completely blocked out the sky, and there was plenty of light revealing their path as it began to wind up the mountain on gradual, crisscrossing paths.

Save from the frost on the ground cracking as they walked, the woods were completely silent. There were no squirrels hurrying in the distance, not even the slightest traces of rabbits or deer or wolves. These woods seemed to be utterly devoid of any life aside from plant life.

The hours passed as they walked along with little rest save a couple to take a quick drink of water. No one was inclined to speak, though every now and then Roe would hurry up to walk by Faron and ask whispered questions about the woods. He would answer for a while, and then tell Roe to stop pestering him. Still after a half hour or so, Roe would begin asking questions again, though Link realized that he never asked anything about the wood's animals.

As morning turned to noon and the sky above was a strong blue as the sun looked right down on them, Link heard Roe and Faron speaking again in front of him. Talking long strides to get closer to them, he caught Faron's eye and asked, "Where are the animals in this forest?"

Roe and Faron looked at each other, then Roe answered, "There aren't any, except for monsters. Every time Gutoh or Faron or Talno came in here, they never saw any sort of animals. Just monsters."

Link tilted his head slightly, frowning. "But what do the monsters eat?"

Faron shrugged, answering, "We do not know. The primary monsters in here are Wolfos, the rest like Moblins and Wizzrobes don't seem to stay here consistently. And Wolfos are definitely carnivores, but they take after wolves so much we know they won't cannibalize. We know they must be eating something else."

"But you have no idea what?" Link asked.

"No. But why do you ask?"

Shaking his head, Link just said, "It just seemed too quiet, even for winter."

Faron shook his head, then said, "Well, then let us stop chattering and keep walking!" He walked quickly ahead of them in quick, jerky strides.

"We weren't forcing you to answer," Roe mumbled as he too hurried up. Link glanced over his shoulder to see Narif still behind him, and looked back ahead, hurrying to keep in line closer to Roe than the guard.

By the shadows of the forest, Link could tell it was nearing evening by the time they reached a fork in the road. The left path sloped down, as if to return to Hyrule Field. The right path turned upwards, becoming extremely steep. Gutoh indicated the right path, and they went up it slowly. The path was stonier, so they took their time to find sure footing as they went along. Roe and Vinn slipped up a few times, but overall they kept going at a steady pace. Any chatter that had remained died out and was replaced by labored breathing, sounding haggard in the cold, silent air. Link's throat felt hot and sore from the cold, and he concentrated on pulling his cloak over his mouth and nose and not breathing too quickly.

After an hour, the path leveled out, and Gutoh urged them to hurry, saying, "The spring is just ahead. It's in a good clearing, so we can rest there."

"Maybe for the night," came Narif's voice from the back.

"Good idea," Faron said. "Traveling in these woods after dark would be unwise."

"Will the spring be safe to drink from?" Roe asked.

"Sure it will be! In fact, it might have once been a fairy spring," answered Gutoh, a smile in his voice.

"Hmph." Vinn looked back at Link. "Maybe you'll find some clues for those fairies you're looking for, eh farm boy?"

Now the forest was growing dark with twilight and the two guards had brought out their lanterns to light the way. Link had taken his lantern out as well, and it only shone just bright enough to give enough light for him to clearly see the path right in front of his feet, but it offered no long-range light. A few nights ago however, the lantern's magical light glowed as bright as a blazing campfire as he searched for a place to settle by the river for the night. Holding up the lantern, he looked at it, wondering why its light would change—it had always been the same bright glow for all the years it hung in the village.

I guess its part of magic, he decided dully, looking down at the lantern. Now he noticed that the iron ring where he held it was not cold, as it would normally be. He held it further away from him, wishing he had a normal lantern.

"We're here!" Gutoh exclaimed from the front of the group, relief clear in his voice.

Link looked back ahead just as the trees spread away and they walked into the clearing.

It was almost completely flat, riding into the side of the mountain like a shelf. The woods all around it continued to slope upwards. The clearing was not very wide, and the small spring on its far side took up about half of it, resting next to the sheer face of stone that rose up and met the trees, which loomed high above the clearing.

They selected a small, dirt area for a fire pit, which Link volunteered to start as the rest set up their tents. The clearing was so small they narrowly managed to fit all of their tents, and only did so by putting them right beside each other, making a tight crescent. Although the clearing was open, it was enshrouded by the trees, and the wind did not reach down in. Still, the air was biting cold.

"Be sure to not make that fire too large." Gutoh had stopped working to watch Link who had just got the flames going. The scholar folded his arms, and glanced over at Roe, who was still putting up his tent. Clearing his throat, he said in a louder voice, "You make that fire too large, you'll frighten the trees. They'll squish us in our sleep—that's what happened to Talno's brother—"

"Stop that, thank you." Roe was glaring at Gutoh, his cheeks a little red.

"He's right though," added Faron, a ghost of a grin on his lips.

"No, I know he's not, I know enough about the woods not to believe in old wife's tales." With one final indignant look, Roe returned to his work. Link heard Gutoh chuckling as he too went to finish putting up his tent.

After the fire was started and was strong enough to stay alive on its own, Link looked around the clearing for a place to sleep. The tents took up all the area of the clearing that was not next to the small spring; the fire was in between the middle tent and the spring, and the tents were arranged as even the one closest to the spring was still several feet away. Link wondered if they were afraid to sleep near the water.

The spring was a curiosity. Once the scholars finished with their tents, they gathered around the spring, taking out draughts, refilling their water skins, but also just touching it tentatively and testing its temperature. Despite that the day was the coldest day of winter so far, the spring showed no sign of freezing. Instead, it released a steady, mostly faint fog straight up into the air instead of filling the clearing. Link watched the fog, which looked much more like his own breath than the fog of Zora's River, as it floated upwards and, once near the treetops, was swept away by the breeze.

Link circled the clearing to keep himself warm. Around the fire Vinn and Narif were standing, talking together. The guards noticed his gaze and immediately Vinn stooped down to stoke the fire while Narif turned back to finish putting up his tent. Shrugging, Link kept walking.

Circling the clearing a third time, Link spotted another trail, veiled thinly from sight by the shadows, that led up to the mountain. Getting Gutoh's attention, he pointed the trail out, asking, "Is that the way we're going?"

"Most likely," he said, peering at it. "We'll have to see what Faron says, of course. He's the most experienced with these woods."

The evening fell very quickly after that, and the cold air became more intense, prompting a faster dinner of packaged meat and other foods, coupled with plain hot water. At one point Link tried water straight from the spring and found it to be nearly lukewarm. Aside from that, it did not taste any different from normal water, except that it had a much more mineral flavor than the water of Zora's River.

"It's a hot spring, isn't it?" Roe was asking as they finished dinner. "Well, a warm spring, anyways."

"I can't say for sure," Faron answered, covering a yawn.

"It might very well be an old fairy's spring, but we weren't really able to prove that when I took some samples back last time I was here," Gutoh said before sipping the last of his hot water.

Unlike the others, Link settled down next to the spring. It seemed to emit a warm aura of air, drawing him to bed down almost right beside it, knowing he never rolled about in his sleep. Quickly he took off his hat and, without letting Truett's light shine in sight, slipped it under the fur blanket, fluffing it up so it would not push down on the fairy.

Lying back, he put his arms behind his head and enjoyed the warmth, watching the spring's white breath as it was blown up and into the night sky. The sky was a little cloudier, but he could still see the stars very well, and it was too early in the night for the moon to be in sight. Sighing, he closed his eyes, waiting, listening to the sounds of the rest of the company. Most were already silent, waiting for sleep in their tents. He could hear Faron's loud snores and the crack of the fire as Vinn, who was keeping watching, stoked it, probably out of boredom.

After everyone was asleep save Vinn, Link pulled his fur blanket over his head. Truett was already out of his hat, and walked up near his face.

"I'm bored," she muttered in her small voice that only he could barely hear. "I want to go out and fly for a while."

"That guard is still out there, by the fire," Link whispered back. He frowned, and asked, "Truett, is this spring a fairy fountain?"

"If you must know, it's definitely connected underground to a very old fairy fountain. Though since it doesn't have anything special about it except for its temperature, there can't be any fairies in the fountain anymore. And, don't try to change the subject!" She bounced up and down once, as if stomping in anger. "I want to go out. I won't let him see me. Your head is facing him, right?"

Link nodded.

"I'll go out the other end. I'll wait a little while, he'll get a little sleepier, I'm sure." She walked away, sitting down on Link's hat. "But I want to have a look around. It'll be fine."

After a while, she excused herself, slipping out quickly and silently from underneath his blanket. Pulling his hat up, he folded it and used it as a pillow. Getting warm, he pulled the fur blanket back just enough that his head was uncovered, but his neck was still warm and protected from cramping from the cold. As sleep crept up on him, he only once rolled over to look down at his pack. It was still mostly bundled up, within arm's reach around his knees. His sword and shield were near it, both covered by a thin, small, spare blanket.

With a small sigh, he rolled on his back again and, a small chill rushing past him on the night air, pulled the blanket back over his head.


	14. Chapter 2 part 2

Someone kicked Link roughly in the side, shouting for him to wake up. Cold air surrounded him as his blanket was thrown off of him. Quickly he sat up, reaching for his sword. He froze, cold steel brushing against his neck.

"Don't move."

Narif and Vinn, the two guards traveling with the small company of researchers in the Forbidden Woods, were looking down at him. It was still night, but the fire was large enough to light the area, revealing the severe expressions on the guards' faces. Narif had his sword out and was drawing it away from Link's neck, but still pointed it at him.

"Recognize this?" Vinn thrust out a scrap of cloth towards Link.

Reflecting the firelight was a gold leaf symbol. With a small gasp, he recognized the symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule: the Triforce, with a pair of wings cascading out from underneath it.

"I knew there was something strange about you," Narif muttered. "I wouldn't have thought a dumb-looking kid like you would be working for the royal family—or is it some aristocrat?"

"No! I've never seen that thing before in my life," Link said firmly, looking at the two guards.

"Really? Then, why did I find it in your things?" Vinn shot loudly. Link could hear the researchers waking and mumbling inside their tents as Vinn went on, "Only someone working for the royal family or a high-ranking aristocrat would have this."

"Get up and move aside." Narif pointed his sword closer to Link, inches away from his chest. He held up his hands defensively on impulse, but lowered them as he arose and walked away from his blanket, sword, shield, and his pack.

"Sit down."

Link did so immediately, his eyes darting from Narif's sword to Vinn, who had started to search through Link's things, untying the leather straps, making everything fall apart. Trying to keep his breathing steady, Link grabbed hard onto his knees. The researchers were awake, and soon Faron came out from his tent. As Narif explained the situation loudly, Gutoh and Roe also appeared, silent, their faces pictures of confusion and worry. Faron remained calm, focused on the Narif's explanations, though his expression grew darker and more severe with each passing moment.

Looking back towards Vinn, only Link could see as the guard pulled a piece of paper out of his long sleeve, and then, as if pulling out from under Link's waterskin, slowly held it up and began to unfold it.

"I knew it. He stole our contract." Vinn held the paper up, showing it to the researchers. "It has all the information about you lot and our group going to the Forbidden Forest. If he brought this back to the castle—"

"I've never seen that before," Link interrupted, clenching his fists painfully tight.

"Silence." Faron's voice was so cold and hard that everyone stared at him. Biting his lip, Link felt his hands began to shake. He tried not to guess what might happen next.

"I knew something was strange with him," Vinn said as he walked over to the others, looking down at the contract. "Muttering to himself last night, and tonight…"

"Not to mention going to Castle City in the same caravan as Talno when his poor mother is supposedly so ill," Narif spat.

Gutoh and Roe were whispering together, while Faron snatched the document from Vinn and read it over quickly. He glared at Link, shaking his head.

"Who are you working for, boy?" Faron slowly walked over, and was now looking down at Link. The man's brows furrowed, his salt and pepper colored beard almost seeming to bristle in anger, yet his eyes were hard and cold.

Shaking his head, Link answered, "No one. I don't—"

"If he returns to tell anyone of this, it'll be the ruin of us all," Gutoh groaned, rubbing his forehead wearily, anxiously.

"If we left him alone in the woods, he'd never find his way out," Vinn suggested.

"I don't want to take chances," Narif said testily, his sword inching closer to Link. "Don't you agree?" The question was a general one, but he looked pointedly at Faron, who did not respond.

Link's gaze darted quickly to the other researchers. Roe was now staring dumbly at the scene unfolding before him, his eyes wide in confusion and fear, his mouth hanging open as if a word got stuck and would not go forwards or back. Gutoh was just shaking his head, his eyes closed, deep frown lines suddenly standing out on his face, making him look much older. For some reason, his arms were shaking and his knees unsteady.

Tensing, Link immediately looked back to Faron. He was stepping back from Link, looking down at him again, his eyes tired, but still hard. His expression was firm as he nodded.

Immediately Link sprung and rolled out of Narif's reach just as his sword thrusted forward. Vinn swung after him. Link dodged and rolled over near his things. Still crouching down, he just had time to grab his shield and bring it up to meet Narif's sword. It swung down on him with the man's full weight, sending Link on one knee with the force of the blow. When the weight gave and Narif drew his sword back for another attack, Link immediately rose up, bashing his shield into Narif's face as hard as he could, sending the man reeling, unbalanced, stunned.

Vinn attacked and Link scurried backwards out of his reach, almost running into the trees. Behind Vinn, he could see Faron coming ducking into his tent and pulling something out. It was a quiver of quarrels and a crossbow, light enough to be drawn back by hand. Narif and Vinn had regrouped and were about to attack together as Faron began to load his crossbow.

Immediately Link ducked and ran away, dashing through the trees and into the forest. He heard a bolt from the crossbow whizz just above his head before he turned and ran a different direction, heading downhill. The forest was pitch black, as the sky was covered in sheer clouds, as he haphazardly ran through the forest, his shield ahead of him, covering him from most of the lower branches and helping him feel out what was ahead and avoid the large trees rather than run straight into them.

There was a rustle behind him, and he heard a sharp moan overhead. Looking around wildly in the dark, he took another quick turn, aiming uphill. Jumping up, banging his knees on a few stones, he hurried upwards until he found solid ground and kept running. Nothing struck at him save for high bushes, and he let his shield arm down, focusing on running as fast as his legs would carry him.

Something sharp struck him on the fore head, and his feet struck ice. Letting out a sharp gasp, his feet flew out from underneath, and he fell flat on his back. Something cold and hard hit his head, and white spots popped up in his vision, consumed quickly by black.

The first thing he was aware of was his shield, now very heavy on his right arm. His body was not cold, but when he tried to move even the slightest, he realized he had gone completely numb. In his ears he could hear the wind whistling, but could not feel it. After a moment, he heard a soft chiming, like tiny silver bells floating on the air above him. There was a small glow of warmth, like a tiny candle. There was another chime, and then the warmth vanished.

His eyes flew open. Lying on his back in the middle of the Forbidden Forest, he had the smallest layer of frost spotted on his clothes. The woods were lit by a sun of late morning, revealing he was surrounded by the dark, bare trees just outside of a small bare thicket, laced with ice. Sitting up stiffly, the frost snapping on his clothes, he saw fog in the distance of the woods as they stretched downwards, while the woods above running up the mountain were clear with pale light.

"Oh, you woke up on your own! That's a first." Link quickly looked back up to see Truett flying over his head, slowly coming down to circle around him. "I was going to wake you up. Seriously, you hit your head, I didn't know when you'd come to."

"My head…" Automatically he reached back, but stopped himself. Instead, he looked at Truett, opening his mouth to speak, but then shutting it.

"Confused, eh?" Truett observed, a slight trace of amusement in her voice. "Don't worry. Those guys aren't trying to track you down after you went running off into the Lost Woods all alone. They're not as crazy as you are! But what happened? I saw you running from them, but that's all."

Link started at her for a moment, then shrugged. Sitting up straighter, he pulled his shield off his right arm and placed it down on the frosty ground. Slowly he stretched out, focusing on moving his fingers, toes, and feet. After a moment, feeling was rushing back, though it was painful. Reaching his arms out, he stretched until he could reach his boots. Taking a slow breath, he sat back up straight, pulled his legs in and slowly stood up. His body felt like stone, but after he managed to stand up straight and then began to pace around the area, he began to feel the cold and, when he rubbed his hands together, warmth. He kept pacing and stretching as he slowly said, "I don't know what happened. I don't know why, but the two guards, Narif and Vinn, they were trying to set me up."

"For what?'

Link stopped, rubbing his arms, looking at Truett thoughtfully. "I don't really understand, I can't remember well. They pulled out—they said they found a cloth with the insignia of the Royal Family of Hyrule on it. From the way that everyone else acted, I guess it was the real thing, but they must have planted it. I had never seen it before."

"Was the insignia gold leaf?" Truett asked, swooping down to hover closer to Link.

Frowning, he answered slowly, "Yes. Why?"

"Oh…" She began to fly in circles above his head. "That was mine. I was going to use it."

"What?!" He stared at her, his mouth open, then snapped, "Why didn't you tell me you had it in there? Why—"

Shutting his mouth, he looked away from her, rubbing his forehead, glaring at the ground. Truett did not say anything and just continued to fly around. Eventually Link sighed, sitting down in defeat, his hand running through his hair, noticing he had left his hat. After another sigh, he said, "I guess it doesn't matter. They thought I was working for the royal family, and…" The memory of Faron's crossbow and the guards attacking him rushed forth his memory and he shuddered. "They think I'll get them into some kind of serious trouble."

"Did they try to kill you?" Truett asked.

He nodded, feeling a small chill running down his back. His mind flashed back to running away in the dark woods, the sound of the crossbow's quarrel narrowly missing him. Shaking himself, he stood up, brushing the rest of the frost off his clothes.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Truett said eventually, flying down onto his shoulder. "I can lead you through these woods no problem anyways. But, they have your things. I saw them, I went looking for them after you got knocked out here."

"Can you lead me to them?" Link looked at her.

"Sure. And listen, you don't need to worry about fighting them to get your stuff back."

Link frowned, raising his eyebrows at her.

"They were being stalked by a pack of Wolfos," she explained dismissively. "The pack will attack at evening, and everyone will be dead by morning—"

"Truett!" The fairy tumbled off his shoulder as Link jerked away from her. "What are you saying?!"

"What are you getting upset about? They tried to kill you, right?" the fairy asked irritably, flying back up into the air jerkily.

"Yes, but…" He just shook his head furiously. "We can't let them be eaten."

"You want to save them? Really?" When he nodded she groaned in exasperation. "You're so naïve."

He reached down and snatched up his shield, pulling it back onto his right arm. "What I am or not doesn't matter. You said you saw the Wolfos herd—can I save everyone from them?"

The fairy snorted before answering, "Yes, if you insist! It's not impossible. There are magical nuts in these woods that can stun the monsters. We can pick them up on the way, but we won't be able to catch up until evening. I don't think we'll be able to forewarn them about the Wolfos—"

"Then let's go."

Link immediately began to head off into the woods. After taking a few paces, he stopped, turning around and returning to Truett, who had not moved, hovering in one spot in the air. For a moment, they stood still.

"…Please lead the way," Link asked meekly, wondering what expression the fairy was making on her small face right now.

She gave a small "tch!" then began to fly ahead up the mountain with him following.

As they walked out of the area, Link looked back once. The previous night's memories becoming more and more clear in his mind, he automatically tried to match them with this present, sunlight forest.

Stopping, he tilted his head, his eyes scanning back over the area repeatedly.

"What is it now?" Truett flew right in front of his face, her voice irritated. He sidestepped, squinting at the area below.

"These trees aren't right," he said in a low voice. "They're different than last night." He pointed and outlined the low branches and the thin trees he remembered getting hit by, yet now they were replaced by taller, fatter trees with higher branches. Rubbing his head, he wondered, "Is it because I hit my head?"

"Oh, no, that's not it." Truett began to fly away again, and Link followed, looking back a couple times as she continued, "Your head is fine, unless if there was something wrong to begin with. No, these trees have been moving around on their own."

Link pursed his lips, looking at the fairy. "Really?"

"Yes, of course really." Her voice was turning hard. "Do I sound like I'm teasing you?"

"N-no. Just, last night Gutoh was making jokes about the fire frightening the trees or something."

"Well, he was joking because he doesn't know anything. The trees here are really the same as everywhere else in Hyrule, except these are still awake. Way back when the gods were still living among the people here, all the trees were awake, moving, living—at least as much as trees can. Once all the gods left, all the trees slowly fell asleep until just these woods were left."

"Why here?" Link asked, looking at the trees around him. He wondered if they could hear him talk, and gulped.

"Oh, there are lots of reasons for these woods to be awake. There are lots of fairies and good and bad magical things here, so that stimulates them. And…the Great Fairy sometimes said that these woods also connect to the catacombs, which are a gateway to another world."

Link frowned, the ache in the back of his head beginning to redouble. "Another world?"

"I don't really know what it means," Truett said quickly. "But there are just a lot of fantastic things around here and magic that keeps the trees awake. Though they're much sleepier than back in the day, I'm sure. But even in winter, they're still awake. They're a big reason of why everyone gets lost here, sooner or later."

"But, you won't get lost?"

The fairy cleared her small throat, her voice impatient, "Let me rephrase that: they're the reason all _Hylians_ and other mortals get lost in the woods. Understand? And…" She flew down closer to him, her voice low and clearly purposefully ominous, "Do you know what happens to any mortal lost in the woods?"

Looking at her warily, Link slowly shook his head.

"You turn into a _monster. _Usually Stalfos. The children of the woods turn into Skull Kids, but I haven't seen them around anymore, for a very long time. Maybe the woods ate them in the end."

Link waited for her to somehow explain how the woods could "eat" anyone, but she did not. Soon he decided not to pursue it and remained silent as they continued along. Focusing on his surroundings turned out to quickly be necessary, as the path grew more treacherous and steep. Every now and then they would stop for a minute. Link's ears were starting to pop with the altitude change, and Truett frequently commented that they should not go too far up the mountain too quickly. After noon, they began to take a less steep path, but still continued upwards.

Just as the light first began to fade towards dusk, they came across a tiny clearing, just large enough for four people to stand in, not including a tiny spring, hardly big enough for a child to sit in.

Truett had forbidden Link from using any of the snow or ice in the woods for melting and drinking, but immediately okayed the spring, so they took a break as he drank. His head had felt a little strange from the altitude, and his breath had been going shallow. As he finished drinking and sat by the small spring, looking at its clear surface and dark depths, his head began to feel more level and his breath more natural.

"Link." Truett sat down on his head. "I want you to see something, so sit still."

"What is it?" he asked before he could stop himself.

"Just be quiet. Just sit still, and wait."

He rolled back his shoulders and loosened his knees, letting his legs relax, sitting more comfortably. Thanks to fishing all his life and the time spent hunting in the forest near his home, he was used to sitting in as complete stillness as was humanly possible. Truett also went silent and motionless; if it was not for her warm light on his head, he might have not known she was there.

After a few minutes passed, he began to see lights in the air. At first he wondered if it was snowing and the sun was reflecting off of the snowflakes, but the entire clearing was in shade. Keeping still, he watched as the lights began to float around, becoming brighter by the second. At first they looked like fireflies whose lights never blinked, but then they began to dance around the air as if to a slow waltz. Slowly, trails of light appeared, following the first lights wherever they danced. His mouth was hanging open at the sight and when he noticed and closed it, he did not gulp.

"They wouldn't appear at the campsite," Truett was saying in a low voice. "The fire was always moving and burning. It made the trees stop moving too, waiting for the fire to go out."

"What are they?" As Link asked the question, the lights suddenly dispersed, flying away like a swarm of bugs, disappearing into thin air.

"They are the wood's magic." Truett flew back into the air. Link followed and they began to walk back into the woods. "That magic used to be everywhere around these trees. But now it only shows itself in the Lost Woods when you're still."

"Oh." Link frowned. "How long did you say it's been since you've last been here?"

"I don't know, who cares? Let's get going. Keep up with me, Link!" She began to fly faster, and he found himself running after her through the woods. The path was clearer, the trees older and the ground was devoid of young trees or bushes blocking his way. Eventually they slowed, but kept a steady pace as the woods grew darker and darker.

A keening noise came out from the distance. Instinctively Link froze, looking around, his arm with his shield held up, ready. Truett flew around him, and they listened. The noise faded, but then returned, stronger. At first Link thought it was a wolf's howl, but it was throaty and raw, less haunting and melancholy, more of a roar or growl. Its strangeness made Link rub his arms, feeling himself going cold as the sound returned again, this time higher, louder, and accompanied by a chorus of similar calls.

"That's the Wolfos pack," Truett whispered. "We're getting close."


	15. Chapter 2 part 3

Picking up another dark shelled brown nut, Link looked it over. It was large, almost too large for him to easily hold in his hand. They did not show any sign of wear or tear from animals or from the hard winter weather and frozen temperatures of the past weeks. The hard shell was smooth and intact, with each only having the smallest of cracks in the middle, through which he could barely see a dark yellow nut.

He slipped the nut inside of his hat, which he was using as a makeshift bag. Equipped with only his shield, he had nothing else to carry these nuts that Truett had spotted in a small, dry clearing and immediately snapped at him to collect. Now his hat was nearly full and he picked up another, looking for any flaws, though he had not found any thus far.

"Don't try to eat them, Link," Truett said, fluttering overhead.

He shot a frown at her, but shook his head and hurriedly put the nut in his hat. "You said these are magic, aren't they?"

"Yes. They sort of work like small bombs. If you throw them at a Hylian or animal, it will stun them, though it won't hurt them very much. It's more effective on Wolfos and other monsters." She flew down closer to him. "They won't help much if these people you're trying to save try to kill you again."

Not answering her, he finished stuffing his hat and then stood up, his shield on his right arm while using his left to hold his hat securely, but not too tightly.

Truett took off flying through the dark Forbidden Woods. The tree-covered mountain was now very steep, with rocks that were still frozen over from the previous night. The clouds seeped in among the trees, covering the woods in wispy, cold, white wetness. But Truett continued flying onwards confidently, her fairy light guiding the way. Brushing past a tree with particularly low-hanging black, bare branches sheeted with ice, Link noticed the closer they got to the summit of the mountain of the woods, the more gnarled and older the trees got.

Now it was nearly night, but as they were now on level with the clouds, the fog blocked any light the setting sun had to offer. Although he did not consider it by any means his most valuable item, Link found himself wishing for his magical lantern that always gave him as much light as he needed for the situation. Guided now by only Truett's pale light, he had to catch himself many times from falling and tripping.

Suddenly, she stopped flying, and hissed at him, "Stop! Stop now!"

He skidded to a halt, sliding just a little on some ice. A cold wind smacked him in the face and he lifted his shield up against it, shivering. Lowering it down as the wind passed, the clouds began to part.

They were on the edge of a small cliff, with a sheer drop below. Several high stones shot up like fat, sharp spears, and the rest of the gully was covered with crusty ice and snow that had been blasted against the cliff's face. Beneath the drop he could see a small clearing, lined by trees. In the clearing were the figures of five men, two larger than the rest and holding swords. It was the researchers and their guards. They had lit four large campfires in a tightly knit circle, and did not have their tents out.

"Waiting for the Wolfos in a clearing with fire, idiots," Truett muttered. "The fire will help them for a while, but they've trapped themselves, the monsters aren't…"

She trailed off. Link looked around with his eyes, his body instinctively still and ready to spring, frowning at the darkness and the clouds ahead and the forest. It had gone quiet. Up until that moment, the Wolfos had continued to howl occasionally, though as it grew louder as they had drawn nearer, it had grown sparser and sparser. Now, both the woods and the monsters were completely silent.

"They're moving in for the kill," Truett hissed, darting down near Link's shoulder. "Look!"

There were loud, furious shouts as Link looked back down at the clearing below. The researchers and the armed guards began to pick up torches and wave them around in wide circles. Among the dark trees were the inhuman reflections of bright red eyes.

Creeping out of the woods were the dark shapes of the Wolfos, their white teeth bared in a noiseless snarl. They looked much like white-grey wolves, but were much larger than wolves, their front bodies as stocky as bears with slimmer back hips and legs—they were certainly bigger than any of the men below. They did not growl, but slowly stalked noiselessly into the clearing, only hesitating when the men dashed the fire out towards them and shouted with volume that was only possible due to the stress of the situation.

Link's senses were brought back by Truett whispering, "Are you sure you just don't want to let the Wolfos eat them all? They won't harm any of your stuff that those jerks have with them."

Glaring at her, Link quickly switched hands with the hat-ful of nuts and used his free hand to secure his shield tighter onto his arm. Afterwards he grabbed his hat, closing it, asking, "What's the fastest way down?"

"I guess you could rush down the cliff, but you'd die. Follow me." She took off along the cliff top, heading towards the trees. He had to run to keep up with her as she took him along a makeshift path that sloped downwards. From the distance, he could hear the shouts of the men turning high pitched and panicked. There was a faint rumbling, like the earth shifting in the distance. Soon he realized it was the Wolfos' growling.

There was a horrible cry and the Wolfos were snarling and barking freely, loudly, like the dreadful trumpeting of a furious bear about to lay its claws on its prey. Leaping over a fallen log, firelight shone at him through the trees ahead. He sprinted past Truett for the light, his vision tunneling, all the noises around him dimming as he concentrated on trying to get his feet to move as fast as possible.

He broke into the clearing. Three Wolfos were gathered in the side of the clearing, tearing into something hidden by their massive fore-bodies and front legs. Three others were snapping at Vinn, the guard, and the three researchers. The oldest researcher, Faron, had his crossbow out, but he was as pale as a sheet, his body and hands rigid, frozen. Gutoh, the middle-aged researcher, still had his torch in hand and was still shouting impressively along with Vinn while Roe, the youngest researcher, was cowering back, his eyes darting around madly—looking as though he might bolt at any moment.

A Wolfos trotted back from Gutoh's torch and then sped up, taking a sharp turn, lunging for the men, its teeth flashing. Grabbing a nut out of his hat, Link threw it at the monster, hitting it midair, squarely in its head. There was a loud bang and a flash of light. The Wolfos fell to the ground with a loud _thump_ as the rest of the monsters dashed or leapt away from the source, howling in surprise. The men were shouting in confusion, some swearing horribly. Black dots in his eyes from the flash and his ears ringing, Link saw that the Wolfos the nut had hit was stunned—lying on the ground, its legs were stiff, its body rigid; it almost seemed to have turned into stone.

"Now! Kill it now!" Link shouted at Vinn and Faron as he hurried to stand near them and the fires. Vinn was unsteady on his feet, shaken by the flash and noise of the Deku nut, rubbing his eyes incessantly, but Faron raised his crossbow and unleashed a quarrel that went straight into the Wolfos' skull.

The other monsters were still recovering, grunting and whining, though a couple began to growl, running straight for them. Faron, who now had his wits about him, reloaded his crossbow and fired another bolt while Link threw a nut at each of the monsters. When they were stunned, Vinn ran forward with a yell and clumsily cut at them with his sword, screaming with each stroke until he finally dealt a lethal blow.

The Wolfos were drawing back to the edge of the clearing, crowding around one area, still growling. They were reaching down to the ground, biting and pulling at something hidden by their bodies. Link saw a trail of blood following them.

"That's Narif!" Vinn's voice was a hoarse scream. "That's Narif they've got!"

Before the guard could rush forward foolishly, Link pulled out another large nut and threw it at the monsters, just barely missing them. He closed his eyes in time for the flash of light, and reopened to see the monsters hurrying away, yelping and barking, choking, furious. As they ran away, they began to howl again.

Left behind in their wake was the large, white body of the guard Narif. Vinn ran towards it, finally silent, but stopped midway. The researchers walked forward hesitantly, also quiet—all of them holding their breaths.

Link knew better than to look and hung back. He did glance once, just enough to see that the guard's body was covered in blood, torn up like plowed dirt, and that he was missing his legs and arms. The Wolfos must have taken them with him, Link guessed.

The sound of retching ripped out in the air as Roe, the young researcher, turned away from the corpse and vomited. Vinn was muttering out an endless stream of curse words as Gutoh and Faron retreated back towards the fires. Gutoh promptly fell onto his knees and grabbed his head, shaking it. Link could barely hear him mumble, "Nothing was supposed to happen. Nothing would happen, that's what Talno said…"

Link took a step towards the center of the flames, but his foot nearly slipped out from underneath him. His head spinning, he took a breath and put his hands on his knees, leaning forward towards the ground, facing away from the flames. Slowly he breathed the cold, clear night air as his vision stopped swimming and the murkiness in his vision vanished. For the first time in his life, he glad his stomach was empty from a day without food.


	16. Chapter 2 part 4

In the light of the four blazing fires that illuminated the small clearing and cast grim flickering lights on the cliff and tall trees surrounding, Link, the researchers and their only remaining guard, Vinn, began to sort the luggage that had been hastily dumped in the middle of the fires. Link found his sword and pack there, which had been quickly, poorly tied back together with the leather thongs. Untying them and unfolding the blankets and digging amongst his belongings, he found everything was still there—save two things.

"Where are they?" He looked up at Gutoh, the researcher who was closest, who opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The man's face was stricken as he just shook his head quickly. He looked at the other researcher, Roe, who did not even respond, his face still colorless, his eyes turned his gaze towards Vinn, who was pulling his own pack up onto his shoulders. The guard noticed him and half-heartedly shrugged.

"He—took a few things." He jerked his head towards the bloody, strewn corpse of the other guard, Narif, who was left at the edge of the clearing. "Get them yourself."

After tying his sword and scabbard back onto his belt sturdily, Link walked over towards the carnage, holding his breath. Trying his best to ignore the carnage of the strewn, clawed body that was missing some limbs that were roughly, brutally torn away, he focused on the small pack on the man's back that had been torn by the claws and teeth of the Wolfos. He undid the metal fastenings on the leather encasement, and pulled out the contents, only hesitating when he unfolded the cloth with the gold leaf insignia of the royal family. His hands shaking, he set it aside, then quickly unearthed his glass jar of honey and the leather packet with the engagement necklace inside, both unharmed. He picked them up and left everything else as he hurried away from the body.

"We have to leave, before they come back," Faron said, his voice a little raspy now with strain, but firm, as Link finished tying his pack together, everything inside.

"He's coming with us?" Gutoh asked uncertainly, glancing at Link then back at Faron, then at Vinn, who just folded his arms tightly.

Faron wearily ran his hand over his eyes, shifting uncertainly, but said, "If those monsters come back, we'll need everyone we can."

"Agreed," Vinn said, glancing towards Narif's corpse, shuddering slightly.

Link felt the eyes of the researchers on him and grabbed at the thongs around his shoulders tightly, pulling them up firmly. "I'm not going to tell anyone about you people being in here, and I never wanted to."

"I want to believe you, but, if you didn't intend to do so, then why did you have the contract?" Faron asked. He still had his crossbow out, and while it was far from being ready to use, the man was gripping onto it tightly.

Before Link could do anything, Vinn muttered a curse and said, "I planted it, Narif wanted to—" He cut off, muttering and kicking at a chunk of frost on the ground, then speaking up again, "We saw he had the insignia, but we couldn't get rid of him without something else, could we? You lot would have raised a fuss, might've paid us less. That's what Narif said, anyways." Folding his arms more tightly, he glared at everyone else, and when no one spoke up, he turned away, saying, "Let's get moving before those beasts come back."

Faron narrowed his eyes at Vinn, but slowly eased his grip on his crossbow, saying, "Very well. Everyone, get out your lantern or grab a torch of some sort, then douse the fires. We need to keep moving."

As they moved into the woods, led by Faron and Vinn, who were grumbling at each other for a little while, Link hung back, his lantern attached on his belt letting off plenty of light for him and Roe in front of him to see the path. His eyes quickly adjusting, Link began to look around in the woods for any sign of Truett's faint, light teal fairy light, but there was no sign of her. Slowing, he turned around and looked the way they came, squinting at the dark shapes of the trees and the bare ground, but there was nothing.

Soon all turned quiet in the group. They kept walking, the evening fog dissipating, replaced with a windless air that was devoid of clouds to keep in any warmth in the world. While they followed a faintly trodden path, Link noticed they remained on one level along the mountainside, not going up or down significantly, but maintaining the same altitude.

The woods were utterly quiet. Every step they took on the frost and ice seemed to magnify and echo in the emptiness. Only once or twice in the night did they hear noise from the distance. The first time was a soft thump, like snow falling off an edge or a large tree limb. The second time it was a loud snap, like a frozen twig being stepped on and broken right behind them. They all froze, Link instinctively turning towards the noise, hand on his hilt. The sound of Roe's teeth chattering from the cold was unbearably loud as they stood there breathless, peering into the dark woods. Faron snapped at Roe to be quiet, and he tried unsuccessfully several times, even as they began to move again.

When his senses were not on alert by a sound or by the silence of the forest, Link pulled his cloak up around him and warmed his hands in it, rubbing them together furiously. Several times he noticed how cold his head felt, even with his hat, and realized it was because Truett was gone. Then he would look around for her again, doing so more frequently and for longer periods as the sun rose and the woods slowly lightened in the grey morning light, but each time he was disappointed.

After they could see the sun peeping through the trees at last, they soon arrived at a tiny clearing. The air remained still, without even the whisper of a breeze. As they stopped in the clearing, Link noticed that the tree branches far above were still swaying ever so slightly. At first he guessed that there was a current up there, then remembered what Truett said about the forest being awake. Sitting down on the hard ground, the coldness immediately numbing him, he looked out at the forest again for any sign of the fairy.

"We're trying to leave the forest now, right?" Roe asked, his voice weary. His teeth had stopped chattering, and now he was rubbing his eyes constantly.

"Yes. Hurry up and get something to eat," Faron answered, also sitting down, his crossbow beside him. The others sat down eventually, though no one made any move to eat anything.

Slowly Link curled up, pulling his knees to him, leaning his arms and head down on them, pulling cloak around so it made a shell all around him. They sat there for a long while, the soft sound of the faintest of rustlings amongst the trees sounded like whispers lulling them to sleep. Link felt his eyelids drooping, and Faron's slow, regular breathing turned into faint snoring as he let his head loll forward, his chin and beard on his chest. Every now and then, Vinn would stand up and pace around the clearing, then sit back down. As the day lengthened, he began to get up less and less, and soon stopped doing so at all. Gutoh had lain down on the ground, ignoring its coldness, and the only sign that he was still alive was the occasional snort amidst his silent breathing.

"Link."

Jumping out of the edge of sleep, his head in a fog, Link jerked his head up and looked around, blinking quickly. Soon he realized it was Roe who had spoke, as he was staring at him now. The young man looked very tired and worn in his enormous coat that now had dirt, scratches and tears on it, with heavy circles under his eyes and specks of dirt and possibly blood on his face.

"Are you awake?" Roe's voice shook a little as he spoke.

"Now I am, yes." Link frowned, looking at the rest of the party. Even Vinn let out a snore, making Link quickly stand up, saying, "I'll stay awake. You sleep with them for now."

Quickly Roe shook his head, a small, high-pitched laugh escaping him. "I haven't slept at all ever since they tried to kill you back at the campsite. And Faron, too! He's my cousin!" Leaning forward, Roe shook his head miserably, his short brown curls shaking limply. "They're all insane, that's what it is. And Talno's the worst for starting this stupid expedition in the first place. I shouldn't have come here."

Unsure how to respond, Link sat back down, looking at Roe who just continued staring at the ground, muttering, "We're never going to get out of here. All yesterday we just wandered in circles, even when the monsters began to follow us." He shuddered noticeably, even with his enormous coat on. "And then Narif, they—" Gulping, he looked back up at the woods, then at Link. "Don't you care? Don't any of you care at all? Half of him got eaten for—" He cursed. "I felt like a weak fool, acting like I did—"

"It's normal," Link spoke over him quickly. "Especially if it was your first time seeing something like that."

Roe just shook his head again, and began to talk quickly, feverishly, about how he had thought coming to the forest would be safe and simple. Link tried to listen, but the man quickly went into such detail that he could not follow. Looking back at the forest, ahead, then behind them where it rose up in a sharp, snow-covered incline, only thrice as tall as he was, topped with shadowed, black trees that bore low gnarled branches gleaming in ice. He could see the hazy shapes of smaller trees behind the ones at the edge of the incline. Squinting up at them, his eyes caught a shadow of movement in the distance above.

Immediately Link stood up, pulling his cloak back, his hand on his hilt. Ignoring Roe, who was still rambling on and staring at the ground, he took several steps back, looking up the slope and behind the trees just above. As he watched, he saw a figure in the shade, slowly rising as if standing up to look at him. He tensed, gripping his hilt, ready—suddenly, the figure darted back out of sight.

"What are you doing?" Roe asked finally, his voice clearer, though he did not move from his spot.

"Something is up there," Link replied, not moving, his eyes darting quickly among the trees, looking.

"What? What is it?!" Roe jumped up and hurried over towards Link, leaving the others still asleep.

"I don't know." Link took in a breath and listened for the crunching sound of something walking in snow, or snapping ice or frost, ignoring the whispers of the trees and their swaying, the snores, the sound of Roe shifting his weight on the hard ground.

After a few minutes, or maybe two seconds, he heard the slow, faint, unique grinding sound of someone walking on snow that had not frozen over, but still yielded, bending and dipping underfoot.

A figure reappeared among the trees, and he immediately knew it was not a Wolfos; it was too short, too small. Just as he was trying to discern what sort of animal it could possibly be, a glowing ball of bright blue teal light appeared, floating by the figure.

Link smiled widely at the sight of Truett, even as Roe spotted her and pointed, hissing, "A fairy! And I can see the person there—there's someone there!"

"Someone?" Link looked at him, his smile fading. "Who would in this place?"

"It must be a forest child." Roe bit his lip, still pale, but his eyes were still remarkably bright and awake. "No one has seen or heard of them for so long. Didn't you hear about them from us, or something?" Without waiting for an answer he went on in a hushed voice, "I can't believe I'm seeing one. I could be the first person to see one, or to even see a fairy, for I don't know how long…"

Link looked back to Truett. "I think they want to help us."

Roe shook his head slowly. "I don't know…what are you doing?" he hissed as Link walked towards the incline, making to wake up the others. "Don't go towards him, you'll scare them away!"

Link looked back at him, then back up at the incline. "They're still there. Let's get everyone else up and follow them."

Not waiting for Roe to decide, Link went ahead and woke the others.

Vinn stood back, staring at the figure and the fairy, his mouth hanging open, rubbing his eyes repeatedly and looking up again, his expression surprised each time. Roe whispered excitedly to Faron and Gutoh about how he spotted the fairy and the "forest child", while Gutoh continued to quietly exclaim, "Fantastic", "Unbelievable" and other such words repeatedly, while Faron kept stroking his salt-and-pepper beard uncertainly, his eyes wide.

When they had all stood and stared for some time and showed no sign of actually doing anything, Link stood in front of them, saying, "We should follow them."

The researchers looked at each other while Vinn snorted, saying, "You're crazy, that's what you are. You want me to follow some forest imp and some pixie through this insane place? They'll lead us right back to those Wolfos! We should keep going, on our own."

"That, that's ridiculous," Gutoh said, frowning severely at Vinn, then at everyone else as if they had all suggested the same thing. "Fairies are good-natured, and in the legends they always helped out people in the Lost Woods. Same thing for the forest children. Besides, fairies don't stay around evil creatures, and pixies don't exist. We should follow."

Roe was nodding in agreement, and Faron sighed heavily, then said, "We have little choice. I did not mention it, because I hoped I could find the way again, but we've been lost, lost ever since the Wolfos started stalking us and we altered our path."

Vinn's face lost color, then he gritted his teeth, turning red, clearly about to shout when Link spoke up again, "Whatever you're doing, I'm following them. Goodbye."

Turning on his heel, he headed towards the incline, and then went towards the right edge where the dirt and rocks had collapsed due to a flow of water years ago, creating a slightly more gradual slope, winding up towards the trees above. Behind him Vinn was shouting, with Faron responding in kind, but a few moments, Link looked back to see them following him up the rocky slope. He grinned to himself, relieved, knowing he would have had a hard time trying to convince them fully.

Arriving at the top, he looked towards where the forest child had been with Truett. There was nothing there. He walked over to the spot and looked around, spotting them in the distance. He could still not make out much about the distant, shadowed figure, but he could clearly see Truett bobbing up and down, and he knew her wings were fluttering quickly, impatiently. Looking back again to be sure the others were up out of the slope, Link followed after Truett and the child. He heard some grumbling behind him, mostly Vinn, but ignored it as the others followed him through the forest.

The land turned upwards steeply as they walked, yet the air did not grow much cooler. The trees were squatter and more gnarled, still very close together, their limbs bearing more snow, reaching down low with their burdens, sometimes brushing the heads of the travelers with their long fingers.

Through the forest they followed the child and Truett for several hours. The going was slow due to the incline, yet neither Truett nor the child seemed to have any trouble staying the exact same distance away from them. Link's ears were popping, and several times he rubbed them, trying to assuage the discomfort that eventually turned into pain.

The day was growing late, and the child and Truett seemed to be further away than before. Link began to hurry but was quickly chided by those following him into slowing down. His back ached under his pack, and his ears were stuffy, his head aching and throbbing like a bruise.

"Look!"

Link slowed to turn. Roe was behind him, pointing at a tree they were passing. For a moment he stared at it, unsure what he was supposed to be seeing, then realized that its limbs were higher, less gnarled, and most importantly they were not bare or naked. It was a holly tree, bearing the dark green, prickled leaves, but it was taller than any other such trees he had ever seen. Turning back ahead, he spotted more and more hollies ahead of them even before Roe and Gutoh began to excitedly point them out, his voice growing louder and louder until Faron hushed them.

Soon they were surrounded by the evergreen trees. Some bore bright red berries, standing out sharply, while others were simply green. Every now and then there was a rustling amidst their branches and leaves, as if creatures were hurrying about in the shelter.

The path began to level, and even though the trees were further apart, their limbs and leaves all mingled, creating a solid ceiling separating them from the sky, darkening the area. Any sunlight that filtered in was not as pale as a normal winter sun, and seemed warmer. The ground was still cold and hard, but there was no longer any sign of ice or snow.

Following the child and Truett's lead, they turned a corner onto an even path, lined by the trees. These were planted closer together, preventing visibility on either side, but leaving an open path, like a natural tunnel. Here there was soft snow on the ground, with no shell of harsh frost.

Ahead of them down the long tunnel was sunlight, though it was clearly waning. Fog was seeping slightly into the area, blanketing the end of the tunnel in a reflection of shining ice crystals. The child and Truett slipped into the fog and disappeared.

Letting out a shout, Vinn rushed past Link towards the fog, with Gutoh then Roe and Faron following behind. Link hurried after them, noticing by the sweat collecting on his brow and under his heavy, hot cloak that while there was snow, it was warmer than before. Rubbing down on his ears once again, he exhaled and popped them painfully. Even though he was not running very fast, he was gasping for air and his breath felt shallow.  
_We have to be on or near the summit of the mountain. But why is it so warm?_

He followed the others into the haze of the fog, and just as soon stumbled out of it into clear afternoon sunlight. Everyone else had frozen, looking around; Link did the same, not minding that his mouth was hanging open.

The clearing before them was enormous, full of small, young hollies and unfrozen ponds and grass that was not harmed by the cold, though snow was strewn about in patches. They could see the sky clear around them, the only clouds passed around their legs and then swept away; Link wished he had the energy to climb one of the taller holly trees, sure that he could confirm that they were really at the summit of the mountain of the Forbidden Woods.

In the middle of the clearing, capturing their attention, was an enormous yew, the only evergreen that was not a holly. It was swaying, like the trees in the woods, save it did so more freely, more boldly, as if it was absentmindedly stretching.

"Come this way."

Link turned around, hearing the small voice, and looked to see Truett at the line of the holly grove surrounding the clearing. Near her, half-hidden by a tree, was a small child. He had gold blonde hair, wore a dark green, upturned, pointed hat and a matching forest green tunic with darker, long sleeves. His face was pointed but pleasant, with small, narrow eyes that reminded Link less of the squinting faces of foxes and more of how a cat contently narrows and closes their eyes when it purrs.

Soon the child and Truett began to hurry along the edge of the trees. Link followed them, with the others trailing behind, silent save for Gutoh, who was saying, "I never imagined we'd get here, never in all my days; just look at this place…the sun is shining…and I can't believe it, that tree must be—"

As they circled around to the other side of the enormous yew tree in the center, Link noticed several bumps on its far side. As he drew closer, he thought someone had carved an enormous face into the side of the tree. But then one of the wooden eyes blinked, and the chin was swaying slightly. Now on the other side of the yew, they all stood in front of an enormous wooden face, with deep-set eyes, a large round nose, an enormous, round, heavy chin, frowning thin lips, and a prominent brow that was furrowed severely, making the wood creak and splinter slightly. The tree's face was ancient, strongly defined, and very alive, and not at all pleased to see them.


	17. Chapter 2 part 5

"What are you doing in these woods?" The giant tree's voice came out low, deep, and earthy, reminding Link of sound of an old man telling an ancient tale, of the hard sound of boulders scraping and dislodging, and of a great bear's throaty growl.

None of the researchers found a voice to answer: Gutoh was staring, mouthing silent words, his face alight but frozen; Roe had shrunk behind the former but too held a distinct expression of astonishment, his wide eyes scrolling over the giant, talking yew; Faron, in front of the other two, dumbly plucked at his long salt and pepper beard, not even blinking, his lips pursed together. Vinn, their guard, stood behind them all, his hand on his sword's hilt, his face pale.

Link noticed the frown lines on the tree's face grow deeper in the silence. After quickly glancing at the others to see them still dumbfounded, he spoke up, "These men were traveling to research the woods. I…I was looking for someone."

The tree nailed its gaze on him, its large round chin tight, as if its gigantic wooden jaw was clenched. It slowly answered, "Then you're looking in the wrong place. There are no other men on this mountain."

Trying stop his own jaw from trembling, Link ignored the growing coldness inside of him as he quickly asked, "But, are there any Wizzrobes?"

The tree's expression did not soften, but its huge protruding brow raised in interest. "No, not for a month. They rarely set foot on this mountain."

Immediately Link looked away, over to where he had seen Truett and the forest child among the holly trees surrounding the clearing. They were still there; the child was sitting on a holly's protruding root, his head in his small hands as he watched Link and the others. Truett fluttered around the child's head in circles, ignoring Link's gaze.

"You…" Faron barely managed to force the word out; it was dry and stiff. Link turned back to see him still staring at the tree, but taking a step forward as he continued, "Are you the Deku Tree? We've heard about you and the forest children in the legends, and—"

"I am," the tree cut in, it's voice louder, with such volume that the very air seemed to rumble, making Link tense, clenching his fists automatically, while Roe cowered and Vinn gripped his sword more tightly. "And I do not care how you heard of me, or the children. If you are here to study the forest, then tell me, what is the end and purpose?"

Faron frowned, awkwardly folding his arms, which were barely shaking. "You must understand, our leader, Talno, who is not present at the moment—"

"Answer the question," the Deku Tree interrupted again, his voice lower. He was once again scowling.

Quickly Faron looked down at the ground, then back up again, answering slowly, "For knowledge's sake, I believe."

The ground beneath them shook as the Deku Tree chuckled humorlessly, only the faintest of grins creasing his thin wooden lips. "You believe? Then tell me, where would this 'knowledge' lead? To deforestation? To trying to suck away the magic of the woods for your so-called magicians? No, whatever plans your 'knowledge' would make for these woods I will not allow to pass." The tree's face grew solemn, his wood eyes narrowed. "You will leave this mountain, and you will never return. If you do, I will not hesitate in using all my power to stop you, or any other man who steps foot under the trees of these woods. If you return, it will mean your death."

Faron's fists were shaking in fury as he unfolded his arms, glaring furiously at the tree. "But we've only just begun to understand these woods! You can't stop us now—you don't understand why we're doing this. Let me explain—"

"My word is final." The Deku Tree's voice was lower, but still voluminous, shaking Link to his core, making Roe lose his balance and fall to his knees as the tree continued, "You are fortunate I'm letting you leave alive. But…I may yet change my mind." When Faron remained silent, and no one else spoke up, the Deku Tree looked over at Truett and the boy at the edge of the clearing, saying, "I will allow Fado and that fairy to lead you out. If you try to return, you will meet worse dangers than Wolfos. Now, leave."

The Deku Tree closed its eyes, even as Faron began to say, "But you don't understand! You don't know what this could mean for Hyrule! And we don't mean to harm the woods in any way. It has been Talno's aim from the beginning only to learn for the sake of learning, and to use that knowledge to better our own homes and forests. We will not harm these woods!"

The Deku Tree did not open his eyes, or speak, or show any sign of having heard him. Faron shouted, trying once more to get his attention, but there was no response.

"Stop it." Vinn walked around the researchers and stood between Faron and the Deku Tree. "Let's get out of here, now."

"But this is ridiculous," Gutoh muttered.

Faron nodded in agreement, saying, "If we can't convince him now, we'll never be able to continue our research—"

"And dying is preferable to that for you, but not for me," Vinn spat. "We leave now."

Before Faron or Gutoh could reply, Link spoke up, "He's right. I don't think we're going to change his mind."

"And you suddenly know so much, boy?" Faron shot him a dirty look. "I'm not leaving until I convince him otherwise. I have spent too much time, too much money on this, and I'm not letting it go to waste. And I won't be able to look Talno or any of our sponsors in the eye ever again if I do."

"Agreed," Gutoh was nodding, then dug Roe in the ribs, grinning. "What do you say?"

The young man gulped, his gaze darting amongst everyone around him. "I…" He shook his head quickly, almost whining, "I don't know! I don't—he might kill us if we don't go!"

Link heard a faint ringing behind him, like a bell, and looked to see Truett flying over to him, resting to hover near his shoulder, asking, "What's the hold up? We're not going to wait forever."

The others had gone silent, staring at her. Link looked at them quickly, then answered her, "Some of them want to try to convince the Deku Tree to let them come back."

Truett snorted derisively. "Sure, they can try. But we are leaving, now. You'll never get out of these woods without my—our help. So come on."

Without waiting for an answer she turned and flew away, back towards the boy, who was standing now, waiting.

There was a pause of silence, then Vinn began to follow her, only speaking over his shoulder to say, "I'm not waiting here to die."

Link followed, but slowly, only picking up his pace when he heard all of the researchers behind him, Faron doing so with a long, weary sigh.

They continued to walk silently throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening. The boy and Truett once again maintained a consistent distance ahead of them, slowing when they did and hurrying faster when they did. They led the company out of the holly woods before twilight, and went down the mountain by an steep but clear and direct path. Link guessed by the feel of the air and how easy it was to breathe that, by the time they stopped to camp in a tiny clearing, they were well over halfway down the mountain.

As he settled down for the night, ignoring the complaints and muttering between the rest of the company, he could see Truett's light in the distance, where she and the boy had also stopped for the night. At the sight of the fairy, his shoulders slumped and he let out a slow sigh. He looked away from her, rubbing his eyes.

_The Wizzrobes haven't been here for a month? Why did she even lead me here?!_ He ran his hand through his hair wearily, then sat down on his blanket, gritting his teeth, his face in his hands. _I thought Truett knew what she was doing. Ugh, who knows what he could be going through right now—and here I am, wasting time!_

He bit back a curse, then got underneath his blanket, his body aching, his forehead sore from having his brow furrowed almost all day. Faron and Gutoh stayed up talking later into the night, but Link did not even try to listen, instead pulling his blanket over his head, blocking out everything from the outside world.

They rose with the sun, putting out the campfire and packing up silently. Just as they finished, they looked to see Truett and the boy nearby, slowly walking away, leading them onwards down the mountain again. They followed, with Vinn in front, the researchers behind him, with Link in the back. Faron and Gutoh talked some again that morning, with Roe also becoming more talkative and less gloomy as the air slightly warmed and the steep path grew more gradual.

It was near noon when Vinn gave a shout, pointing ahead. They could see clear light coming through the trees, and the faintest sight of Hyrule Field's plains and hills. Truett and the boy vanished from sight, but no one commented, though Faron and Gutoh looked around for them several times as they hurried behind Roe and Vinn, who were nearly running until he got out of the line of trees and into the open field.

"Finally!" Vinn nearly collapsed, sitting on a stone heavily. They were still on the mountainside, but only its very base, which sloped down then back up where it turned into the rolling waves of Hyrule Field. The plains were still white with snow, but there was less on the large grey stones around them and spotted in the distance, and there were even some brown signs of dead grass. The sky was clear and still windless, with no promise of snow in sight.

"We shouldn't rest too long," Faron said. "We need to keep traveling while the weather is good."

Link stayed with them as they all sat down and rested for a spell, but he kept looking back at the trees for any sign of Truett.

"You, Link," Faron suddenly addressed him gravely, making him turn, sitting up straight as the older man continued, "What were you really doing in those woods?"

"Well…" His shoulders slumped and he looked down at his knees as he answered, "Someone I know was taken by Wizrobes. I—tried following their trail, and it led me here, to nothing."

Faron frowned, looking away as Gutoh asked, "Why didn't you just tell us that? We could have told you that Wizrobes almost never come here. They don't like the woods, for whatever reason. Wolfos are the only monsters that are here regularly. Wizrobes wouldn't—"

"He didn't tell us, and that's that," Faron interrupted, his voice firm and strong. "We have all made mistakes these past few days." He stood up, and Link did the same as the man walked over to him, his face stern and lined, making him once again look very old. "I only wish that the different mistakes on all sides had not led to such serious…misunderstandings." Link nodded as Faron continued, "If you suffered any sort of damages or losses due to our false accusations and all that followed, I swear we will reimburse you fully once we are back to Castle City."

Link frowned, unsure what 'reimburse' meant, but he shook his head, saying, "Nothing was lost or stolen or anything, forget about it. And I don't think I'll be going back to city."

After a few more minutes, the researchers and Vinn got up and headed to leave, turning towards the north, opposite the mountain. Vinn and Roe did not say anything else to him, though Gutoh shook his hand and apologized quickly, not waiting for an answer before he followed the others. Link remained sitting on a short stone sticking out of the mountainside close to the woods, watching until the company was mere specks in the far distance, close to disappearing over the horizon. It was now early afternoon, and he shifted, sighing and leaning back, looking at the pale blue sky.

"I thought they'd never leave," came a small voice from just behind him.

Springing up and jumping off of the stone shelf, he spun around to see the forest boy and Truett, who was fluttering around the boy's upturned, dark green hat. The boy smiled, his thin, almond-shaped eyes once again reminding Link of a squinting, contented cat.

"You're Link, then?" the boy asked as Truett began to hover in the space between the two of them. After Link nodded, the boy said, "I'm Fado. Truett, she found me in the woods the other night. I couldn't believe there were men in the woods!" He sat down on the stone, his legs dangling off the side.

"Well, I wouldn't have been there if she hadn't led me here," Link said, looking up at Truett, who flew down at eye level.

"Look, it was a trail of the residue of Wizzrobe magic," she said. "I can't do this thing perfectly."

"I thought you said you were really good at it," Link said, trying to keep the edge out of his tone.

"You're looking for some Hylian, right?" Fado interrupted, looking at the two of them, his expression sobering.

Sighing, Link nodded again while Truett answered, "Yes, and he got taken by Wizzrobes, that's why I'm tracking them. Don't worry though, I've got another trail on them. It's a lot fresher, I can tell."

"Really?" Link asked glumly, folding his arms.

"Yes, really. Look, being back in the forest really made me feel much more…in-tune with my magic. I was a little worn out, to be honest. But now I'm a lot sharper, you'll see. It'll be fine! We'll find him soon, or at least get closer to finding him. Alright?"

Link raised his hands helplessly, then sat down next to Fado on the stone heavily with another sigh. "Fine. It's not like I have any other options. I wouldn't know where to start."

"Sounds like you might be traveling around a bit," Fado said, looking at Link, who nodded again. "But, you have a fairy with you. That means you're a hero, right?"

Link looked at him, a grin tugging at his lips. "Why do you say that? She's just helping me out for a little, since I helped her before."

"But…" Fado bit his lip anxiously, then continued, "No one has fairies with them anymore. Not even Kokiri, the other children like me, do. They're all gone."

"I thought there were always fairies in the Kokiri Forest," Truett said, fluttering down to sit on Link's shoulder. "That's part of what gives all the woods their magic."

Fado shook his head sadly. "They've all gone. Not even the Deku Tree knows where or why. The only person we hear about having a fairy with him anymore is the hero from the legends. And fairies won't stay with normal people, right?"

Link scratched the back of his head uncertainly while Truett giggled, saying, "Well, we are certainly choosy about our company. We don't waste our time with fools."

"So, if you're a hero," Fado shifted around, facing Link, "could you do something for me while you're traveling?"

"Well," he glanced at Truett, then back at Fado. "I don't know about heroes or anything, but I'll try to help. What is it you want?"

Fado's face brightened, and he gave a toothy smile. "Great! Now see, we never get to go out of the forest for a long time. The Deku Tree doesn't let us. He used to tell us that we'd die if we left. But…" He looked down, his expression darkening as he clasped his hands, saying in a lower voice, "A while ago, some Kokiri left the mountain, meaning just to be gone for a little while. I don't remember why; maybe it was a joke, or a prank, or something. But while they were out, I think they were captured, because they never came back. And they would never just leave!" He looked back up at Link, his young face lined with worry. "We don't die when we leave the forest, but we'll get sick if we're gone for a very long time, especially without fairies or magic to help us. So, they must be in trouble, somewhere in Hyrule. Could you keep a look out for them? Just, ask around if anyone has heard of children from the Lost Woods in Hyrule."

Link nodded slowly. "I could do that, yes. I'll ask around when I go to towns or anything, and I'll do what I can, I promise."

Fado sat up straight, then let out a long sigh. "Good. It's been so long since they've been gone."

"How long, exactly?"

"Uhh…" Fado stood up, cocking his head, frowning in thought. "About ten winters. And there were about…eight kids. I think. But no less than that."

"Alright, I keep a look out."

"Right." Fado beamed at him and Truett, then said, "I need to go back before the Deku Tree gets mad at me. Thank you, Link!"

Link could not help but smile as he watched Fado jump up and hurry back to the trees, only pausing to wave back at them once before vanishing into the dark woods.


	18. Chapter 2 part 6

"Here?" Link looked down from the edge of the plateau of Hyrule Field. Beyond the long, steep descent below, the land sharply leveled off and curved around an enormous lake, Lake Hylia. It seemed to stretch on, flat and dark, with no end in sight. Nestled next to the lake was Laryu, the only lakeside town. Even from this distance its considerable size was clear; it could easily boast a population of over two thousand. Where it was not bordered by the black lake, it was wrapped by a tall, thin wall. Inside the very buildings seemed glow in gold warmth, spotted frequently with white and yellow lights.

"Yes, the trail led me here." Truett flew in front of him, cutting the town off from his gaze. "You got a problem with it?"

"I…" He scratched the back of his head, trying not to frown. "It seems strange that monsters like Wizzrobes would come to such a populated place."

"Humph. Well, if they have been here recently, you'll be sure to hear about it, right?"

The frustration of the time burnt in the Forbidden Forest ached sharply inside, and he couldn't keep the bite out of his voice as he asked, "So, this has nothing to do with how you've been complaining about sleeping outdoors for the past week? I'll admit, it's been cold because it's so clear, but—"

"Oh please." Truett gave a contemptuous sniff that sounded like a kitten coughing. "I'm a fairy! I'm used to sleeping outdoors. And I said I wouldn't lead you astray, didn't I?" She flew a little ahead of him, looking like a small teal-blue lamp in the darkening evening. "I'll help you find your way down to the village. You'll need all the light you can get; this looks nasty."

He opened his mouth to ask something else, but forced the question down, only letting out a tight mutter, "Right. Lead on." Link took his lantern off his belt and held it out to light his way, following Truett towards the dark descent.

As they made slow progress down the steep, icy cliff, the shadowed lake and the glittering town seemed to slowly consume the rest of the scenery. To the left of the lake was a thick forest that rose in the far distance, turning into hills and then the mountains of the Forbidden Woods in the far distance. To the right of the lake were just unremarkable frosty grass fields that stretched on for some miles, but eventually were cut off by the cliffs of the plateau. The lake, town, and surrounding fields were in their own pocketed area of the land. The encompassing cliffs and forested hills soon hid any signs of far off areas. The further they descended, the smaller the world became.

Halfway down, a breeze ripped by them, followed incessantly by similarly strong gusts of cold wind that made Link shiver and Truett mutter a complaint. Pausing to rub his arms and hands to warm them, Link automatically sniffed the air. It smelled like the water of the lake below, and snow.

The closer they drew to the village, the more noise reached them. It was not the sound of the wind, snow, or driving sleet, nor the sound of the few winter animals of the plains, nor the winter monsters of the night. It was the sound of life, the sound of other people: excitement, chatter, laughter, all indicating good spirits and celebration.

"How close is it to Yule?" Link wondered aloud, hardly realizing he did so.

"H-how should I know?" Truett's voice trembled from the cold of the wind, and her light quavered as if she was shivering. "Concentrate on what you're doing, why don't you?"

Once on level ground, they hurried into town, just as the sun disappeared from a sky now streaked with black clouds. Link was let in through the gate with a few others who had come from the fields around the town. The guards, dressed in simple armor and warm, thick cloaks with their lances propped against the gate, hardly spared him a glance, and focused on warmly greeting those they recognized. Inside the town, Link walked slowly and automatically as he looked around, staring shamelessly, a small smile parting his lips.

The town was clean, bright and lively. The wide cobblestone streets were crammed with people, talking merrily, mostly about dinner, food and decorations. Even as he watched windows were lit up with one or three candles placed on the inside sill. The upper windows of the taller houses were thrust open and neighbors threw a rope to each other high above the street and secured it off their roofs, but not before stringing out on the rope paper lanterns of sturdy material or wreaths of holly or just a long string of bright green ivy spotted with sparse poinsettias of pristine white or bold red.

Someone shoved past Link, and a group coming by with a small cart prompted him to start walking faster, though he did so a slowly as possible, still drinking in the sights. When the windows or doors opened, the scents of venison, baked bread, and freshly cooked fish wafted to him, making his stomach growl miserably. He realized he had not eaten anything warm for well over seven days, and the water he warmed up just did not count anymore.

"I've got to say, it sure is pretty," Truett whispered inside his hat. He realized she was moving around, looking out small holes and tears. "I'd forgotten how well you Hylians can decorate when you want to."

"It's got to be close to Yule. A few days away, maybe."

"Oh, right. That's some Hylian celebration on the winter solstice, right?"

Link nodded, and was grateful that the crowds around him were too loud and busy to notice him in all appearances talking to himself as he asked Truett, "Don't fairies have festivals?"

"Well yes. But they're different, and have different names. Though, the names have changed over time, unlike yours. It's been a while…" She trailed off, then coughed brusquely before asking, "Let's find the pub or something, okay? It's getting colder."

Link nodded in agreement and took the first chance he could to ask someone who seemed relatively unoccupied where the pub was. Yet as he headed in the right direction, he did not find the air cold at all. The warm lights all around him, the happy noises of the people and the smells all made it seem as warm as late spring. It was almost uncomfortably warm, like a house crammed full of family and friends, yet no one would dream of leaving.

His mind trailing back to previous Yules, Link thought of Layrel, the small smile fading off his lips as he wondered if she would be able to enjoy this year's celebrations while waiting for him and worrying about Auru. Sighing and pulling his cloak up around him, he tried to block out the merriment around him and focused on heading to the pub, a chill wind wrapping around him.

The pub was enormous. It was just close enough to the lakefront for a view that was blocked by very little, yet far away enough to not face the full force of the lake winds. The building itself was one story, composed of thick, solid wood and brick. Inside there were two fireplaces on either side of the building, which combined with the heat from the kitchen and the sheer number of customers made the large, one-room dining area a toasty, comfortable temperature.

Link made a beeline for the bar, but slowed for a moment to take in the sight of the large evergreen tree in the middle of the room. It was lit with candles and laced with glass beads that reflected the shimmering light. The overall effect would have been ethereal if the crisp look of the pine needles and the occasional limb that was just too long or short were not so solidly real. Only the very top branch of the tree was unadorned, and for a moment Link wondered what it would look like if Truett perched up there.

At the bar, he was almost immediately greeted by one of the barmaids. She was a tall, heavy-set middle-aged woman that had thick yellow hair plaited around her head, adorned with a festive red winter rose.

"Interested in the mulled wine this evening?" she asked, giving him a warm smile. He hesitated, but nodded. She continued, "Alright then, that's five rupees. Or, will you be wanting refills?"

"How much for refills?"

"For up to three refills, it's fifteen. But if you want to go over, then it's fifty."

"Up to three is fine." Link pulled out his wallet, which felt cold, as the gems inside still contained the chill of the night. He extracted three blue rupees, but noticed that they looked a little dirty, and hurriedly rubbed them off on his cloak.

"Got some bad weather on the way here?" the barmaid asked, watching him.

"No, this is—" He stopped himself. Earlier that week, he had killed one of the nocturnal monsters of Hyrule Field when he woke up to it snooping around his camp. Truett advised he split open its gullet and stomach to find "some stuff you people think is valuable." He did so, intending to prove her wrong, only to find a couple green rupees and a blue rupee inside. Ever since then, he had gone out of his way to kill a few more monsters for the money, and eventually forgot to completely clean the gems before pocketing them.

"Yeah, some bad weather," he answered, handing her the now sparkling clean rupees.

She raised an eyebrow, frowning, and looked the gems over once before saying, "Well alright then, you just sit tight."

After she had left, Truett whispered, "I didn't think you'd be a drinker."

"What?" He frowned, shooting a glare back in the direction of Truett's voice behind his head. "What's that mean?"

"Nothing, nothing."

He turned back and rubbed his cheeks, chasing away the rest of the chill from his skin. The seat next to him was taken, and he glanced over to see what he first thought was a young man in a thick coat, a hat, and brown overalls. But then the person turned and meeting his gaze was a young woman.

"You…you're from out of town?" she asked, taking off her hat and placing it on the bar in front of her. Out of her hat fell curly dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail.

He nodded, noticing that behind the forelocks of her free hair framing her face, he could see her ears were rounded. Also noting her olive skin, he wondered if she had any Hylian blood in her at all.

"It's always nice to have some strangers, keeps things fresh." She smiled, her blue eyes lighting up. "Did you come here for the election only, or for tourism?"

"Well, no, I…" He paused, tilting his head slightly. "The election?"

"Oh, you don't know?" She sat up a little straighter in her seat. "The election of the mayor of this town is going to be decided on Yule Eve, when the celebrations begin. There's even some nobles from the city coming down to oversee it. They should be here tomorrow, now that I think of it."

The barmaid returned with several tall, thick tankards and mugs of various drinks in hand, dropping them to the customers down the bar, ending with Link. She beamed at the girl beside him, asking, "How're you doing Hena? The usual?"

"Sure, sounds good. Just one round though." She passed the barmaid one blue rupee, and then turned to Link again, asking, "So…you're here for tourism then? Is it your first time?"

Link wrapped his hands on the mug of his steaming mulled wine, letting it warm them as he answered, "No, I've never been here before. And I'm just here to look for someone."

"You got separated from your family or something while traveling?" Hena frowned, shaking her head slowly. "Hmm…that's unusual."

"It's not that." He slid his left hand into his drink's handle, then back on the mug, then back again surreptitiously. "Have there been any Wizzrobes around this town recently?"

"Well…" Hena folded her arms, frowning, concentrating as if trying to remember a distant memory. At the sight of it, Link felt his stomach drop and his insides go cold. Grabbing onto the handle so hard it hurt, he took a quick drink of the mulled wine and, despite himself, felt just a little warmer as Hena f looked back up at him, saying," There haven't been any very recently, and not too close to this town. About a month ago there were some on the towns closest up in Hyrule Field." She frowned for a moment, thinking silently, but then looked back at him, her expression alight, "There were some out on the lake then, too! Yeah, I remember. Because a couple people saw them, I saw a drop in business for almost a week."

"But, not since then?"

"Nope, 'fraid not."

She leaned forward, her elbows on the bar, frowning thoughtfully. In the silence Link took another few sips of his drink. Its warmth filled him again, and his grip loosened on the handle. He felt his shoulders relax and put his free hand on his neck, stretching his arm, which suddenly felt much more flexible.

Hena looked at him, asking, "So are you one of those guys who goes around hunting monsters? A mercenary?"

He froze mid-sip, and put the mug down slowly, looking at her. "People hunt monsters for money?"

"Sometimes. I heard witches use monster parts for potions, and craftsmen need the hide to make armor. And I mean, not all of them hunt for harvesting parts. You can't always count on there to be knights everywhere to take care of really dangerous monsters. Sometimes you need specialists. Not that there are that many, of course. But, you're not one, huh?"

He shook his head.

They were silent as the barmaid came back with a drink identical to Link's. Still silent, they drank together for the next few minutes, Link trying not to drink faster than he could handle. It was tempting, as he knew it would help distract him from the disappointment of the Wizzrobe's absence.

_But still,_ he forced himself to rationalize as he took a small break, staring at his near-empty mug, the faint warm fumes making his face feel hot, _it's only been about a month. And about a month ago was when they took Auru. Maybe they were here before they went to the castle? Maybe I'm getting closer. _

After the barmaid had refilled his drink, a small group came into the pub, talking loudly, but in a level-headed manner of purpose other than merriment or conversation. They arrested the attention of the room, and some of the chatter died down. Link turned to look with the rest. At the door were several men, one of them hailed by all around him. He was the tallest, with gold hair and a fine mustache, wearing a cloak that looked unusually high-quality compared to the rest of the people in the pub.

His voice slowly filled the room as the talk and laughter mostly hushed, and he announced: "There's a blizzard brewing outside of town, coming from the north-west of the fields. It's moving slowly, but it'll be around for a while when it gets here. We'll be fine inside the village, but I'd advise against heading up to Hyrule Field for some time. Is that clear?"

"_Great._" Link turned away, kneading his temple as his other hand again gripped the handle of his mug hard.

"What's wrong?" Hena asked.

"We'll be snowed in down here."

"Nope. Man, you've really never been around here before, have you?" She sat up straight again, smiling as she went on, "Around the area down here, the fields and town and the lake, we've got these weather-buffering spells that the Magician's Guild in the capital gave us. When tourism started to get really big about a hundred years ago, the Guild made the spells and put them in crystals. We've got them stationed all around here to keep out blizzards or landslides, or just any kind of really bad weather. It's great for business!"

Link thought back to the days spent snowbound at Hyrule Castle. "Strange. I guess they're not what they used to be."

"The Guild? Maybe. There are fewer of them, at the least. But I've heard they're more influential in politics, or at least that's what I've heard my customers say." She took a long, slow drink of her wine, emptying the mug. "I don't really have time for politics myself."

After taking another long drink, Link stared down at his empty mug for a few moments, his head feeling a little foggy. He looked at Hena, slowly asking, "Is there an inn nearby?"

"Yeah, several. But, everywhere is completely full, unless you've made a reservation."

Link stared at her. "Reservation?"

"Yeah…" She looked at him, a wry smile on her face. "Where are you from, anyways?"

"Sliven."

"Never heard of it, sorry."

"It's near Oerbel, alongside the Zora's River."

"As in, on the riverbanks?"

Link nodded.

A slow, much more earnest smile lit up on Hena's face, and she shifted in her seat to fully face Link, asking, "Did you grow up there?"

"Yes. Lived there all my life."

"So, you're really used to fishing, and handling cold water and ice and fishing around ice, right?"

Link rubbed his forehead, trying to concentrate, his head still slightly swimming. "If it's necessary, we'll fish in the winter. I've done that before."

"You know, you might just be what I need!" Hena was now beaming at him as she went on hurriedly, "I run the world-famous Fishing Hole nearby, and my employee got seriously sick just a day ago. See, I need someone to help manage the area, do the heavier work, keep things in order. If you come and help me out, I'll give you a place to sleep. Sound fair?"

Link stared at her, his brain trying to keep up, but he quickly nodded, grinning. "That would…that would be great, yes. What would you want me to do?"

"Just the stuff I can't handle, or the stuff I just don't want to handle. You're used to getting up early, right?"

He nodded again.

"Great! You can get things set up in the morning, and that's really all I'll need." She looked at his empty mug and asked, "So, you through?"

Glancing over, he spotted the remaining wine and drained the rest, placing it back down on the counter firmly.

He followed her out of the room, the warmth making his head unsteady and his eyelids heavy. As they neared the door, he spotted the tall, gold-haired man in the finer clothes who had announced the poor weather. He was at a large table surrounded by others, some crammed into the seats, many standing around, as if just to talk to him.

"Hena." She slowed and looked at him curiously as Link tilted his head towards the man. "Who is that?"

"Oh, that's Brian Koru. He's one of the two candidates for the mayor's seat." She smirked. "He's the popular one. Honestly, he works like a madman to be the most likable guy ever. I swear, my sister has a huge, burning flame for him even though he's married."

They stepped outside, and facing the cold air was like walking into a wall. Link stopped, stunned by the impact as Hena put her hat back on and hugged herself, rubbing her arms. Not noticing he had been stalled by the cold, she kept walking, turning right and heading down the street. Shaking himself, Link followed, nearly all the fogginess gone from his mind. There were tiny flurries fluttering down as they walked.

The Fishing Hole was to the east of the main town, in its own little corner of land. They walked to it on a stone path liberally covered in salt, though Link wondered if it would not be faster to get there by boat. When they arrived at the entrance to the Fishing Hole, he spotted several small docks sticking out into the lake. There was a lantern at the end of them, and Hena walked forward to extinguish them.

"I can take care of it," Link offered, stepping forward.

She looked at him, the wry smile back on her face, and he realized he was slightly leaning sidewise, and hurried to correct his balance as she said, "No, I'll get them tonight. You're quite the lightweight, aren't you?"

Link waited for Truett to snicker at this from inside his hat, but she was silent.

The entrance to the Fishing Hole was walled off by a stone wall of medium height with a single door to enter in and out. The inside was clearly large, even by the pale moonlight, containing a large pond that was frozen over. Trees, bushes and short but long tent-like buildings circled the pond sparsely, and he could see impressively sized rocks rising out of the ice. Link peered through the darkness at them as he followed Hena towards a small building that was closest to the entrance.

"This is the business building," Hena unlocked and opened the door, and they walked inside. It was a single, lined with fishing tack and gear, and the smoky, salty, fishy smell made Link feel as if he had stepped back into his own house. "It's got a fireplace, over there." Hena pointed at the far end of the room, where behind a small stack of wooden crates was a stone hearth and fireplace that, from the smell and appearance, had recently been in use.

Link pulled his lantern out from his belt and used it to find his way over as Hena pulled out a few thick, heavy blankets from underneath the only couch, which was shoved in the far corner near the hearth. "These are all pretty scratchy, but they'll keep you warm."

"Right." Link put his lantern down and took the blankets from her.

"The wood is over there, and the tinderbox, but you can always just use the fire from your lantern of course. Need anything else?" He shook his head slowly. She grinned, then pointed at him. "You need to be up first thing tomorrow, an hour before dawn. Alright?"

"Right."

"First thing I want you to light all the lanterns, the ones outside this place, and the oil lanterns inside this building. Got it?" He nodded and she grinned, heading towards the door. "Great! Oh, I'll wake up on my own, don't bother me, alright? I'll be up on my own time, and then I'll tell you what else needs doing. But, just wait for me." She stifled a yawn as grabbed the doorknob, adding, "You know, I've had this job for years, but there's still nothing I hate more than waking up early."

The moment she left, closing the door firmly behind her, Truett pushed Link's hat off his head, then flew onto the ground with it. There she stayed inside, not speaking. Dropping the blankets, Link sat down on them, watching Truett, waiting for her to speak. When nothing happened, he moved the blankets aside, and got the fire going in a daze, taking several tries to get the fire going even with equipment in the tinderbox.

With the fire going strong and warm, the wood occasionally snapping and popping in the flames, Link pulled the blankets over as close as safety allowed. After picking up his hat with Truett inside and moving her closer to the fire, he quickly laid down, pulling the blankets around him and falling asleep to the sound of the flames.


End file.
